Cape Verde coach Bubista is taking nothing for granted when they face fellow underdogs Mauritania in the last 16 of 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.
Bubista, speaking at his pre-match press conference, said: “Mauritania is a difficult opponent. This team showed cohesion and quality.
“Their victory against Algeria was well deserved. They have a solid defence. This is going to be a very tactical encounter and we will have to play our cards well and not falter.”
⌚ FULL-TIME!
The Blue Sharks put on a show and defeat Mozambique with 3 goals to nil! 💥#TotalEnergiesAFCON2023 | #CPVMOZ pic.twitter.com/sxlDFE6RjH
— CAF (@CAF_Online) January 19, 2024
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. “They score a lot of goals and concede too, which is a loophole we will try to use. I have a competitive group and I know we are capable of anything.”
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