Bebe, Mendes among Blue Sharks' danger men

As little is known about Cape Verde, who will face Bafana Bafana in the Afcon quarterfinals at Charles Konan Banny Stadium in Yamoussoukro tomorrow night, we bring to light a few facts about the Blue Sharks, who’ve been one of the surprise packages of the tournament in Ivory Coast.

Key Players: Ryan Mendes, Bebe and Logan Costa

Mendes, 33, is the captain of the team and one of the most experienced players in the squad, having played in all three previous Afcon finals for the Blue Sharks. The man who is a property of Turkish top-flight side Fatih Karagümrük is his nation’s most capped player with 70 appearances. Mendes, a forward, has already scored twice at this Afcon, with one assist.

Bebe, 33, may be a Manchester United flop but he’s a very important player for Cape Verde, having already scored a goal at this Afcon. The striker’s versatility has been key for the Blue Sharks at Afcon, where he has played as a striker, right-winger, and left-winger. Bebe plays for Spanish La Liga club Rayo Vallecano.

Despite being only 22, Costa has proven to be a reliable centre-back. You can tell that the Cape Verde defender is a regular at French League 1 side Toulouse, where he’s already accumulated 22 appearances across the league and UEFA Europa League.  Standing at 1.9m, height is one of Costa’s main weapons.

Road to the quarterfinals

January 14 stunned Ghana 2-1 in their Group B opener

January 19 thumped Mozambique 3-0 in their second group stages game

January 22 held Egypt to a 2-all draw to ensure they top the group.

January 29 beat Mauritania 1-0 in the last 16 tie to book a quarterfinal date with Bafana tomorrow.

Head-to-head against Bafana

Cape Verde and Bafana have met five times before with the Blue Sharks winning two of those fixtures while the other two ended in SA’s favour, and a draw.

Rankings

The Blue Sharks are ranked 73rd in the world, seven spots behind Bafana. Cape Verde are 14th on the continental list, two places adrift of SA.