On January 29, 2024, Roberto Jose Evora Dias, Jao Paulo Moreira Fernades of Cape Verde, and Sidi Bouna Amar Sibi Amar of Mauritania participated in the Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 match at Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
That tournament, held in South Africa, marked Cape Verde’s first Afcon qualification.
Their first Afcon appearance came in the tournament’s opening match, a 0-0 draw with Bafana Bafana. They went on to defeat Angola 2-1 in their final group-stage match to advance to the knockout stages.
Cape Verde topped Pool B, which included African behemoths Egypt and Ghana, defeating Ghana 2-1 and drawing 2-2 with Egypt. In between, Mozambique was thrashed 3-0.
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Cape Verde maintained their lead from the group stage, defeating Mauritania 1-0 in the round of 16 this week. It was a closely fought game that required a late penalty kick from captain Ryan Mendes to separate the two teams.
“We are proud of everything we’ve accomplished so far. “We always tried to win the game, and we thoroughly deserved the victory,” Cape Verde coach Pedro “Bubista” Brito said following the match.
Cape Verde’s head coach, Pedro ‘Bubista’ Brito (center), celebrates with coaching staff after the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations group stage match against Egypt at Stade Félix-Houphouët-Boigny on 22 January 2024 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Brito believes the Blue Sharks have more to offer. “We have our objective, which from day one has been to get to the semifinals,” he went on to say.
“We are one step closer to that now, and we intend to keep going while remaining humble and respectful of our opponents, but we believe.
“That is our focus and we are going to try and get there.”
Brito has an impressive record as national team coach since taking over in early 2020. In his 39 matches in charge, he has won 18, drawn nine, and lost 12.
His team is ranked 73rd by FIFA, while South Africa is 66th.