Late Mendes penalty sends Cape Verde past Mauritania and into AFCON quarter-finals

Cape Verde achieved a significant milestone as they secured their inaugural victory in the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). However, their triumph did not come easily, as they had to put in a tremendous effort before Ryan Mendes' (34) penalty in the 88th minute sealed the win against their West African counterparts, Mauritania, in the scorching heat of Abidjan.

After ensuring that Cape Verde finished at the top of Group B with a game to spare, manager Bubista made the decision to rest several key players against Egypt in order to ensure their fitness for the upcoming match.

Despite the changes, it was Mendes, Cape Verde's record scorer, who was heavily involved in the early stages of the game. He had a low shot blocked by Mouhsine Bodda and narrowly missed with an audacious lob.

Mauritania also showed promise, pressing relentlessly and displaying no fear in their first-ever AFCON knockout match. However, it was Cape Verde who had the most promising attacks, with Mendes being denied a goal by Ibrahima Keita and Hassan Houbeib.

Neither goalkeeper, Vozinha for Cape Verde and Babacar Niasse for Mauritania, were truly tested in the first half. However, Niasse was forced into a save shortly after the break when Jovane Cabral unleashed a powerful shot from the left.

On the other end, Aboubakary Koita, who had scored against Angola in the group stage, came close with a curled free-kick that went just over the crossbar. Souleymane Anne also missed a great chance to score when he failed to steady himself before taking the shot.

In an attempt to take advantage of Mauritania's attacking momentum, head coach Amir Abdou made substitutions, bringing on Pape Ibnou Ba and former Fulham player Aboubakar Kamara. Bubista also made changes, introducing Garry Rodrigues and Kenny Rocha Santos on the 72nd minute.

Rodrigues tested Niasse with a powerful low drive, but the goalkeeper managed to make the save. Niasse then made an unfortunate mistake, misjudging a defensive header from Yassin Cheik El Welly and bringing down Benchimol in the penalty box. Mendes stepped up and confidently converted the penalty to give Cape Verde the lead.
As anticipated, Mauritania put up a strong fight in their quest for an equalizer, with an additional 10 minutes of stoppage time added. However, Cape Verde managed to hold on and secure their third AFCON victory at Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.

In the upcoming quarter-finals on Saturday, they will be up against either Morocco or South Africa in Yamoussoukro.