January 16, (THEWILL) – Burkina Faso left it late to earn a 1-0 victory over tournament debutants Mauritania in their opening Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage match played at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake on Tuesday. A stoppage-time penalty by Bertrand Traore was enough to give the Stallions all three points against the surprise package Lions of Chinguetti.
Despite being heavy underdogs, Mauritania put in an admirable defensive performance to keep the contest goalless for 89 minutes. The minnows had limited attacking ventures but went close themselves when Aboubakary Koita forced an excellent save from Burkina Faso keeper Herve Koffi with a well-taken free kick.
The Burkinabe upped the tempo in the second half but found clear-cut chances hard to come by against the Mauritanian rear guard. As the game entered stoppage time, the introduction of substitutes appeared to swing momentum in favour of the underdogs but Issa Kabore won a penalty in the 90th minute. After VAR confirmation, Traore slotted home the spot kick to make it 1-0 and secure a perfect start for Herbert Velud’s side.
The victory stretched Burkina Faso’s AFCON scoring streak to 15 straight games but they were made to work hard for the three points by a Mauritanian side searching for their first-ever finals victory. The Lions of Chinguetti produced a spirited display and could take pride in keeping their heralded opponents goalless for 89 minutes.
Both sides now switch their attention to the upcoming second set of group stage fixtures taking place later this week.
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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.
