Cape Verde seek to match their best Africa Cup of Nations showing when they face Mauritania in a round of 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Monday.
The Blue Sharks surprisingly topped Group B despite the presence of multiple-time winners Egypt and Ghana, while the Lions of Chinguetti stunned 2019 champions Algeria to secure passage to this stage for the first time in the nation’s history.
One of the fascinating observations about Cape Verde at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has been the Blue Sharks’ tendency to pick results in different ways.
Bubista‘s men left it late to defeat Ghana 2-1 in a game they edged on chances and overall performance, outdid Mozambique due to superior finishing and were reactive and responded impressively to nick a point off Egypt in their final group fixture.
Scoring late against the Black Stars and the Pharaohs suggests the Blue Sharks never stop playing until the final whistle, standing them in good stead in knockout football.
Having never made it past the quarter-final stage, Bubista’s side could match their 2013 performance with victory over the Mauritanian side as they seek their first victory in the competition’s knockout rounds on Monday.
The Blue Sharks netted three goals in the 2013 finals in South Africa, a tally they have outdone by four at AFCON 2023, and the strikes coming from different goalscorers indicates that Bubista’s side do not rely on one player to deliver the goods, adding to their unpredictability.
As for Mauritania, Monday’s game is a historic event for the Lions of Chinguetti, who had never played a knockout game at the continental showpiece but booked their spot with a stunning 1-0 triumph over Algeria in their final group game.
Amir Abdou is proving his worth on the continent as the go-to guy to have minnows punching above their weight, having taken lowly Comoros to the last 16 at the previous finals with an unforeseen victory over Ghana.
The tactician’s adeptness at coaching a compact side gives them a fighting chance against any opponent, and they seek to keep surmounting challenges on their path to a quarter-final spot.
The Lions of Chinguetti have not only scored more than once in a game at AFCON 2023 — losing 3-2 to Angola — but became the third side to make the knockout rounds despite losing their opening two matches of the competition, joining DR Congo (2019) and Comoros (2021), the latter managed by Abdou.
It remains to be seen if Mauritania show the compactness from their tournament opener against Burkina Faso or a more attacking approach in the loss to Angola, but this side cannot be disregarded in tournament football.
