Angola is one of two teams that could end up as the tournament's Black Horse, along with Zambia. The Black Impalas have been drawn to a relatively tough group that includes former champions Tunisia and South Africa and a more experienced Senegalese side. Over the past two years, this generation of Angolan players has done more than the nation did over the past 29 years that is their entire football history. They qualified to the African Cup of Nations for the second successive time and beat all the odds to appear at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany at the expense of veterans Nigeria. Angola enjoyed a steady run in the qualifying campaign for the Ghana finals as they disposed of Eritrea, Kenya and Swaziland to finish top of their group with 13 points and a remarkable 16 goal tally to their name. With players like Ahli duo Gilberto and Flavio and new Manchester United signing Goncalves, Angola are sure to pose a threat to their Group D opponents and could, with their relatively younger squad, oust Senegal and South Africa to reach the second round. Star Player: Flavio Amado At the first glance, the stocky center forward doesn't seem to be much of a threat, which is exactly what makes him an amazing asset for any team. The Angolan international began his career with local side Petro Atletico in 2000 where he won several local league and cup titles. His amazing form with club and country caught the eye of Ahli's Portuguese coach Manuel Jose who had previously signed his compatriot Sebastiao Gilberto.
Flavio Flavio completed a move to the Egyptian powerhouse in the summer of 2006 but struggled to cope with his new team, going almost a year without scoring for his club in any competition. Puzzling enough, Flavio was on fire with the Black Impalas, scoring and creating opportunities for his national teammates to help Angola reach the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany for the first time in their history. The qualification to the World Cup also earned Angola a place in the African Cup of Nations for the first time since 1998. Flavio was Angolas top scorer in Egypt with three goals even though his team exited the competition from the first round. In Germany, Flavio made history by becoming the first Angolan to score a goal in the World Cup finals when he netted the equalizer against Iran in their 1-1 draw. The-29-year-old ace returned from Germany to produce some exquisite performances with Ahli that included winning the African Super Cup, followed by the local double and Super Cup and finally Ahli's record-tying fifth Champions League title. Flavio made up for his first season scoring drought by scoring 17 goals for Ahli in the 2006/2007 season to finish as the Egyptian League's top scorer. He played a pivotal role in Angola's qualification for the Ghana finals with his three goals, combative attitude, deft assists, and accurate passes. Flavio is also an aerial combat expert and has no problems scoring with either foot, an asset that will come in very handy for the hyped-up Angolan side. Coach: Luis Oliveira Goncalves The local coach was not a notable football player, but he turned things around for himself as a coach. Goncalves became Angola's "miracle man" as he guided the Black Impalas to the 2003 U-20 African title before steering the national side to their first ever World Cup appearance in 2006 and two consecutive African Cup of Nations finals in 2006 and 2008.
