Cape Verde Islands advanced to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time in their history after a 1-0 win over Mauritania on Monday.
The only goal of the game came from a penalty kick by Ryan Mendes in the 89th minute, after he was fouled by Babacar Niasse inside the box.
Mendes calmly converted the spot-kick, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and sparking jubilant celebrations among the Blue Sharks’ players and fans.
The game was a tight and tense affair, with both teams knowing that a win would secure their place in the last eight of the continental tournament.
Mauritania, who were playing in their first ever knockout stage match, defended well and tried to hit Cape Verde on the counter-attack, but lacked the final touch in front of goal.
The decisive moment came in the 89th minute when Mendes was brought down by Babacar and awarded a penalty. The former Lille and Nottingham Forest winger made no mistake from the spot, scoring his second goal of the tournament and putting Cape Verde in the lead.
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Mauritania tried to find an equalizer in the remaining minutes, but Cape Verde held on to their advantage and secured a historic victory.
The final whistle was greeted with joy and relief by the Cape Verde players, who celebrated with their coach Pedro Brito and their supporters in the stands.
Cape Verde, who are ranked 73rd in the world by FIFA, have impressed with their performances in the tournament, finishing top of their group ahead of Egypt, Ghana and Mozambique. They will now face the winners of the match between South Africa and Morocco in the quarter-finals on Friday.
Mauritania, who are ranked 105th in the world, can be proud of their achievement of reaching the knockout stage for the first time, after finishing third in their group behind Angola and Burkina Faso with Algeria finishing last position.