January 14, (THEWILL) – With a 1-0 win over Cape Verde on Thursday, Burkina Faso threw open the race to qualify from Group A of the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
After losing 2-1 to hosts Cameroon in their first match, Kamou Malo’s side got their first points with a beautiful finish from Hassane Bande with six minutes left in the first half, for yet another 1-0 win in the continental competition.
Cape Verde was looking for their second win after defeating Ethiopia, but they only managed one shot on target in each half in a drab attacking show, which did nothing to brighten their chances of reaching the next round.
Burkina Faso took the lead after Bande utilised his chest to turn in a powerful right-wing cross from Issa Kabore before directing his shot goalwards and giving his team the lead.
Cape Verde put more pressure on the Burkina Faso backline in the second half, but were unable to escape their second defeat in nine games at the continental level.
The outcome also puts them under a lot of strain because they now have to get a positive result against group leaders Cameroon in order to qualify. And that may be a tall prospect given how determined the Cameroon side has been and the goals they have been scoring.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.