Liyun’s hat-trick inspires Angola to 6-1 win and U17 World Cup playoff
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Densel Liyun struck a sensational hat-trick as Angola stormed to a 6-1 victory over Central African Republic in their final Group D match at the TotalEnergies CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations on Monday.
Liyun’s clinical display fired Angola to a resounding win at the Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi, earning them third place in the group and a coveted playoff spot for the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Qatar later this year.
Despite falling short of a quarter-final berth, Angola’s commanding performance underlined their attacking prowess and determination to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Lucas opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 13th minute after Omar was brought down in the box.
Liyun then took centre stage, netting his first goal of the night in the 26th minute with a calm finish from the centre of the area after being set up by Jayden Puna.
The second half belonged firmly to the young Palancas Negras. Liyun added his second in the 63rd minute before Jairo Muanha made it 4-0 moments later with a composed finish from Lucas’ through ball.
Although VAR briefly denied Liyun his hat-trick for handball, he eventually completed the treble in the 69th minute with a clinical strike to make it 5-0 — a standout moment in a dominant individual performance.
Muanha grabbed his second and Angola’s sixth in added time to complete the rout, while Anan Otto scored a consolation goal for Central African Republic in the 87th minute.
Elsewhere in Group D, Côte d’Ivoire defeated Mali 4-2 to leapfrog them into first place with seven points.
Mali, who had already qualified for the quarter-finals, finished second on six points. Both sides join Angola in booking tickets to the World Cup.
