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Cape Verde secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations after Ryan Mendes scored a late penalty to give them a 1-0 victory over Mauritania in Abidjan.
Mendes, the captain of Cape Verde, scored the winning penalty in the 88th minute. The Blue Sharks will now advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face either Morocco or South Africa.
Cape Verde, a team that has surprised many in the tournament by remaining undefeated and topping Group B above Egypt and Ghana, struggled in the first half but ended strong to advance.
Mauritania advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time after defeating Algeria, who have won twice before, 1-0 in their last group match. This allowed them to progress as one of the top third-place teams.
During the first half, the game was fast-paced and both teams had opportunities to score, but there were few clear-cut chances. However, Mauritania suffered a setback in the 35th minute when Omare Gassama had to be carried off on a stretcher. He was substituted by Guessouma Fofana.
Mendes’ initial attempt for Cape Verde was redirected into the side-netting and Mauritania’s captain, Mouhsine Bodda, narrowly missed a 15th-minute free-kick with a curling shot.
Early in the second half, Mauritania took control of the game. Souleymane Anne had the best opportunity to score from open play, but unfortunately missed wide after Sidi Amar made a strong run into the penalty area just before the 60-minute mark.
Near the end of the match, Cape Verde made a powerful push with Garry Rodrigues’ strong shot and Mendes’ header putting pressure on Mauritania goalkeeper Babacar Niasse, who made impressive saves.
In the 87th minute of the game, a critical moment occurred when Yassin El Welly made a mistake with his headed back-pass. Gilson Benchimol, who had come in as a substitute, took advantage of this and was fouled by Niasse, resulting in a clear penalty.
Mendes remained composed and confidently scored his penalty down the center, securing the Blue Sharks’ spot in the quarterfinals after playing an additional 10 minutes.
Source: independent.co.uk
