Best performance ever for quarter-finalist Cape Verde at the African Cup of Nations, host country Ivory Coast eliminates defending champion | Foreign football

Cape Verde has emerged as one of the big surprises of the Africa Cup of Nations in recent weeks. The number 73 in the world rankings defeated Ghana (2-1) and Mozambique (3-0) and drew against record champion Egypt (2-2). With 7 points, the group winner kept closest attacker Egypt 4 points behind.

However, Cape Verde found a more difficult opponent than expected in Mauritania, which had continued as one of the best numbers 3. Despite a lot of ball possession, the team created few big chances and was fortunate that Mauritania defender Souleymane Anne squandered a big chance.

Afterwards there was a party in the dressing room:

In the final phase, Jovane Cabral and Mendes were close to scoring for Cape Verde, but the team needed a blunder from Mauritania to score. Gilson Tavares took advantage when a Mauritania defender tried to head back at his keeper, after which the goalkeeper tackled Tavares. Mendes then shot the awarded penalty hard through the middle of the goal: 1-0.

Cape Verde has four Rotterdam natives in its selection for this Africa Cup, three of whom played on Monday evening. Jamiro Monteiro started in the starting line-up, as did Deroy Duarte. The latter – playing for Fortuna Sittard – was substituted in the 72nd minute. Garry Mendes Rodrigues came on as a substitute at that precise moment.

In the quarter-finals, Cape Verde will meet the winner of the Morocco – South Africa match.

Cape Verde participated in the African Cup three times. The quarter-finals were also reached in 2013. Ghana was then too strong with 2-0. In 2015, the group stage turned out to be the final destination, while in 2021 the country fell in the eighth finals.

Ivory Coast has become the sixth country to reach the quarter-finals of the African Cup of Nations. In their own country, defending champion Senegal, which had won all its matches convincingly in the group phase, was settled on penalties.

Senegal made it 1-0 thanks to a goal in the fourth minute by Habib Diall on a pass from star player Sadio Mané. The same Mané was lucky that he did not receive a red card five minutes later after a charge on Ibrahim Sangaré. The former PSV player was taken off the field on a stretcher, but reappeared moments later and did not have to be substituted.

Ivory Coast was on the brink of elimination, but was awarded a penalty in the 87th minute. The VAR saw that Pepe – by the way, was clearly torpedoed by goalkeeper Édouard Mendy in the penalty area. The referee took over the decision and Franck Kessié took advantage of the opportunity: 1-1.

What followed was an extension. There were no more goals scored in that extra half hour, so penalties had to provide a solution. Ivory Coast did slightly better (5-4) and will face the winner of the Mali – Burkina Faso match in the quarter-finals.

Ivory Coast miraculously survived the group stage. With only 2 points – and a national coach fired during the tournament – the country continued as one of the best numbers 3 and now it eliminates the defending champion.

Watch Mané’s heavy foul below