Angola made history by winning the 2018 Amputee Football World Cup after defeating Turkey in a nerve-racking penalty shoot-out in Mexico.
The final ended goalless after both regulation time and extra time failed to produce a winner, setting up a tense shoot-out to decide the world champions.
Neither side could be separated during the opening four penalties, with both teams converting all their attempts to leave the score level at 4-4.
The decisive moment arrived when Angola goalkeeper Jesus produced a crucial save to deny Turkey and hand his side the advantage.
That left Henio Guilerme with the opportunity to secure victory, and he calmly converted the winning penalty to seal a historic triumph for the African nation.
The title represented a significant achievement for Angola, who had fallen just short at the previous World Cup after finishing as runners-up.
Africa was represented by three nations at the tournament, with Nigeria and Kenya joining Angola in Mexico.
Kenya enjoyed its best-ever performance at the competition, reaching the knockout stages for the first time before being eliminated by Russia in the round of 16.
Nigeria’s Special Eagles were unable to advance beyond the group stage after recording one victory and suffering two defeats.
Two other African nations, Liberia and Ghana, had originally qualified for the tournament but withdrew before it began.
Liberia reportedly failed to secure visas in time for the competition, while Ghana was forced to pull out because of financial constraints.
Angola’s victory marked a major milestone for amputee football in Africa and highlighted the growing strength of the continent in the sport on the world stage.
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