Cape Verde, Mauritania set for battle of underdogs
Cape Verde coach Bubista will be taking nothing for granted when he faces fellow underdog Mauritania in the Round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Both countries were surprise qualifiers from the group stage, with Cape Verde beating Ghana and Mozambique and earning a draw with Egypt.
Mauritania, meanwhile, finished third in Group D courtesy of a shock win over Algeria, which sent the north African giant out of the tournament.
Bubista, speaking at his pre-match press conference, said: “Mauritania is a difficult opponent. This team showed cohesion and quality.
“Its victory against Algeria was well deserved. It has a solid defence. This is going to be a very tactical encounter and we will have to play our cards well and not falter.”
Former Manchester United striker Bebe scored one of the goals of the tournament with a long-range free-kick against Mozambique.
He said: “We are aware of the importance of these matches. For us, this is something unique. We are focused on the same goal, we just have victory in sight.”
Mauritania coach Amir Abdou hopes to capitalise on Cape Verde’s attacking instincts.
“Cape Verde is an attractive team,” he said. “It scores a lot of goals and concedes too, which is a loophole we will try to use. I have a competitive group and I know we are capable of anything.”
