Cape Verde officially became the first team to qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-0 win over Mozambique at the Stade Felix Houphouet Boigny, Abidjan on Friday.
The dominant side got the first chance of the match in the 24th minute when Bebe tried his luck from a long-range free kick, but the effort came back off the crossbar. The ball went out of play.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 32nd minute as Bebe sent the ball into the net from a long-distance direct free kick. It went exactly inside the right post.
The Mambas thought they had the chance to equalise in the 42nd minute when the referee initially awarded a spot kick but rescinded his call after Video Assistant Refere (VAR) check.
The Blue Sharks doubled the lead six minutes into the second half when a mistake from the defence gifted a chance to a lurking Ryan Mendes, who kept his cool and rolled the ball into the net from close range.
The situation became worse for Mozambique in the 69th minute after conceding the third goal.
Kevin Lenini scored one of the best goals in his career. His rocket of a shot from distance went straight inside the left post. They will be showing this on every football show for some time to come.
With the win, Cape Verde top Group B with six points and have qualified for the last 16 with Egypt (2 points), Ghana (1 point), and Mozambique (1 point) with chancxes of also qualifying from the group.
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