Lopes and Cape Verde to square off with Senegal in AFCON
CRUMLIN native Roberto Lopes’ memorable journey with Cape Verde in the Africa Cup of Nations will continue into next week after the Blue Sharks were drawn against Senegal in the tournament’s Round of 16.
Taking place next Tuesday at Kouekong Stadium in Bafoussam (kick-off 5pm), this tie will see Lopes coming face-to-face with Liverpool star Sadio Mané.
Runners-up to Algeria when the AFCON was previously held back in 2019, Senegal are viewed as one of the teams to beat – even if their performances and results have been somewhat patchy thus far in Cameroon.
In their Group B opener against Zimbabwe, they required a penalty from Mané deep into stoppage-time in order to claim a 1-0 victory.
Following this game, the Lions of Teranga played out scoreless draws with Guinea and Malawi to ultimately top the table in somewhat underwhelming fashion.
Mané has been utilised in three different attacking positions to date by team manager Aliou Cissé – a former Birmingham City and Portsmouth footballer – and remains their most potent threat.
Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy and team captain Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli) also bring considerable gravitas, while ex-Aston Villa and Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye is now a regular first-teamer at Paris Saint-Germain.
For their part, Cape Verde were the top-ranked third-placed team in the tournament and comfortably earned a spot in the knockout rounds as a consequence.
A 1-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their second game of Group A was a disappointment, but an identical winning margin at the expense of Ethiopia and a commendable 1-1 draw with host nation Cameroon shows that it isn’t beyond them to pull off a surprise on Tuesday.
Shamrock Rovers centre-half Roberto Lopes has been a solid presence at the heart of the Cape Verde back-three and was named man of the match as reward for his impressive display against Cameroon the last day out.
The furthest Cape Verde have gone in the AFCON was the quarter-final stage on their debut appearance in 2013 – six years before the Round of 16 was first introduced. Time will tell if they can match this achievement in the delayed 2021 tournament.