Bongani Ndlovu, [email protected]
ANGOLAN giants Petro de Luanda have parted ways with head coach João Pedro Sousa following their 2-0 defeat to Zimbabwean champions Scottland FC in the first leg of their CAF Champions League tie at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
The club appeared to confirm Sousa’s departure through a social media post bearing the message “Obrigado, Professor João Pedro Sousa” — Portuguese for “Thank you, Coach João Pedro Sousa” — accompanied by a picture of the coach.
The announcement comes ahead of the return leg scheduled for Friday, 23 October, at Estádio 11 de Novembro in Luanda, Angola, where Petro must overturn a two-goal deficit to keep their CAF Champions League campaign alive.
Sousa’s departure follows a disappointing outing for the Angolan side in Harare, where Scottland secured a crucial advantage in the first leg of the tie.
The Zimbabwean champions will travel to Angola seeking to protect their lead and move closer to securing a place in the group stages of the continental competition.
Petro, meanwhile, will need to produce a strong performance on home soil to overturn the deficit and remain in contention for qualification.
The club’s social media post did not explicitly state the circumstances surrounding Sousa’s departure or name a replacement ahead of the decisive return fixture.
