Mendes’ Penalty Propels Cape Verde into Quarterfinals

Mendes’ Penalty Propels Cape Verde into Quarterfinals

A late Ryan Mendes penalty gave Cape Verde a dramatic 1-0 victory over Mauritania to book their place in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Monday.

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In a tense last 16 clash at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, the two sides were deadlocked at 0-0 as the game entered the closing stages.

Cape Verde had dominated possession and chances, with Jovane Cabral having a goal disallowed for offside in the opening minutes. But Mauritania’s defence held firm.

As the match wore on, Cape Verde continued to press while Mauritania posed threats on the counter attack. Both sets of passionate fans roared their teams on, but a winner still eluded both.

The breakthrough finally came in the 87th minute when Mauritania keeper Babacar Niasse brought down Gilson Tavares in the box.

Up stepped captain Ryan Mendes to smash home the penalty and make it 1-0.

With the Mourabitounes now forced to chase the game, Cape Verde stood firm to see out a famous victory and advance to the quarter-finals for the second time, where they will face either Morocco or South Africa on Saturday.

MATCH FACTS

● Cape Verde have won their first knockout game ever at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (after losing 2-0 each time, against Ghana in 2013 and against Senegal in the 2021 edition). The Blue Sharks have won three of their last four AFCON encounters (D1), more wins than in their first 11 (D6 L3).

● Mauritania have not found the net in 70% of their CAF Africa Cup of Nations games (7/10), only Guinea-Bissau register an higher ratio (75% – 9/12) among the teams which have played at least 10 encounters in the competition’s history.

● Cabo Verde have attempted 18 shots against Mauritania tonight, their highest tally at the same CAF Africa Cup of Nations game since 2010. At the opposite, the Almoravids have attempted 11 shots without a single one on target, only Ghana have fired more shots without finding the target in the same AFCON encounter since 2010 (16 shots, none on target v Côte d’Ivoire in final of the 2015 edition over 120 minutes).

● Ryan Mendes has scored the second latest penalty goal in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout game (87 minutes and 53 seconds) since Opta began to collect these data (2010), after the one scored by Javier Balboa (92 minutes and 6 seconds) with Equatorial Guinea v Tunisia on 31 January 2015 in quarter-final (2-1).

● Sidi Amar (Mauritania) have made eight tackles against Cabo Verde tonight (3 won), the joint-highest tally in the same 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations game, equaling Aïssa Laïdouni with Tunisia v South Africa. Out of the last three AFCON editions, only Adama Guira (9 with Burkina Faso v Cameroon in January 2022) has made more tackles in a same encounter in the competition.

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A belated penalty by captain Ryan Mendes secured a thrilling 1-0 triumph for Cape Verde against Mauritania, securing their spot in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals on Monday.

In a nerve-wracking round-of-16 encounter at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan, both teams were deadlocked at 0-0 heading into the closing stages. Despite Cape Verde’s dominance in possession and numerous chances, including Jovane Cabral’s disallowed goal for offside early on, Mauritania’s defense held steadfast.

As the game progressed, Cape Verde continued their offensive efforts, while Mauritania posed threats on the counter-attack. The passionate fans of both teams cheered them on, but a decisive goal remained elusive.

The breakthrough materialized in the 87th minute when Mauritania’s goalkeeper, Babacar Niasse, fouled Gilson Tavares in the box. Captain Ryan Mendes confidently stepped up to convert the penalty, securing the 1-0 victory.

With the Mourabitounes now compelled to chase the game, Cape Verde resiliently defended to secure a memorable triumph and progress to the quarter-finals for the second time. They will face either Morocco or South Africa on Saturday.

Match Facts:

Cape Verde achieved their first-ever knockout victory at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, having previously lost 2-0 against Ghana in 2013 and Senegal in the 2021 edition. The Blue Sharks have now won three of their last four AFCON matches (D1), surpassing their performance in the first 11 (D6 L3).

Mauritania has failed to score in 70% of their CAF Africa Cup of Nations games (7/10), with only Guinea-Bissau having a higher ratio (75% – 9/12) among teams that have played at least 10 matches in the competition’s history.

Cape Verde attempted 18 shots against Mauritania, marking their highest shot count in the same CAF Africa Cup of Nations game since 2010. Conversely, the Almoravids attempted 11 shots without a single one on target, with only Ghana having fired more shots without hitting the target in the same AFCON encounter since 2010 (16 shots, none on target against Côte d’Ivoire in the final of the 2015 edition over 120 minutes).

Ryan Mendes scored the second-latest penalty goal in a CAF Africa Cup of Nations knockout game (87 minutes and 53 seconds) since Opta began collecting data in 2010. The only later penalty goal was scored by Javier Balboa (92 minutes and 6 seconds) with Equatorial Guinea against Tunisia on January 31, 2015, in the quarter-final (2-1).

Sidi Amar (Mauritania) made eight tackles against Cabo Verde in the match (3 won), equaling the highest tally in the same 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations game, alongside Aïssa Laïdouni with Tunisia against South Africa. Over the last three AFCON editions, only Adama Guira (9 with Burkina Faso against Cameroon in January 2022) has made more tackles in the same encounter in the competition.