An intriguing TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final awaits on Saturday as Cape Verde take on South Africa for a place in the last four.
The teams clash at Stade Charles de Gaulle in Yamoussoukro, with both eyeing a historic semi-final spot.
Cape Verde have been the surprise package of the tournament, reaching this stage for the first time after beating Mauritania in the last 16.
Manager Pedro ‘Bubista’ Brito has moulded an organized and spirited team that could make further history.
But South Africa also come into the tie full of confidence after an impressive 2-0 win against highly-rated Morocco secured their progress.
Coach Hugo Broos is aiming to guide Bafana Bafana to the semis, and they have the experience and quality to trouble Cape Verde.
With the likes of Percy Tau, Teboho Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa in attack, South Africa carry plenty of threat.
At the back, the no-nonsense centre-back pairing of Gomolemo Kekana and Mothobi Mvala provide solidity and leadership.
But Broos will know not to underestimate the underdog Cape Verdeans, who have shown great team spirit and work ethic so far.
With a place in the semi-finals at stake, both teams will be determined to keep their remarkable AFCON journeys going.
A tight and hard-fought encounter is expected, with the victor taking another big step towards improbable continental glory.
WHAT THEY SAID
Bubista – Cape Verde national team coach
“Our goal is to win against South Africa. We must respect the opponent, and we will give everything we have to achieve victory.
“We are focused on improving our team. We have confidence in our players and our team.
“Our first participation was in 2013. Now we are accustomed to competing, and we strive to achieve our goals and focus on them and on achieving victory.
“As I always say, we respect our competitors, and we respect South Africa, which has a strong team, a coach with great experience, and players who work together in one club. We must remain at a higher level in order to confront them to win.
“We are prepared for the match, and we believe in our abilities to play the match to win.
“The players are in good shape in order to qualify for the semi-finals. Our players are united, our people are behind us and we will give everything we have to make them happy and happy.
“It will be difficult in the match, but we have the will to play and show what we have done so far.”
Logan Costa – Cape Verde player
“We are happy with our journey and where we have reached so far. We have our goals in our heads, and we must go match by match in order to go far in the competition.
“We will continue to strive to make our people proud, although it will not be easy against the South African team, which has a stronger team.
“It will be a good match, and the best will win. It is amazing what happens in the competition. There were surprises, and in turn, we will give our best in this edition of the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON.”
Hugo Broos – South Africa national team coach
“We are happy to participate in this competition. We have a lot of confidence after our accomplished journey. We are ready to face the Cape Verdean national team.
“We must double our efforts in order to qualify for the semi-finals. It would be a mistake to think about the Morocco match. We must continue the journey and focus on the match.
“We are aware, and we will face a difficult team, and it will be difficult to compare the Cape Verde match to previous matches. There is a rule in football that says you should never change a winning team. We know that this team has its values.
“When you see the number of points they got in the group stage, you know that it is not an easy team. We seek to win the match, but the battle will be difficult.”
Evidence Makgoba – South Africa national team player
“The players are all motivated, and they are all excited to write football history. The coach’s experience in the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON is important to us, and we are excited to continue the journey.
“We will play our football, and if the coach puts his trust in me, I will be there to perform my duties, and play with everything I have, of course I’m motivated for the match.”
Source: CAFonline
