In the Africa Cup of Nations last-16 clash on Monday, Cape Verde Islands captain Ryan Mendes converted a penalty two minutes from time to secure a 1-0 victory against Mauritania. This win allowed the smallest country at the 24-team competition to advance to the quarter-final.
Mendes, who had previously been part of the team when Cape Verde reached the quarter-finals in 2013, scored the crucial goal that secured a well-deserved triumph for his team. The Cape Verdians dominated the match, which was another fast and furious affair.
The penalty was conceded by Mauritania goalkeeper Babacar Niasse, who was forced to come out as he scrambled to get to a poor back header from Yassin Cheikh El Welly. In the process, Niasse brought down substitute striker Gilson Benchimol.
Despite having a population of only 600,000, Cape Verde has managed to reach the quarter-finals and will face either Morocco or South Africa in the next stage of the competition on Saturday.
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
