Mauritania manager Amir Abdou is happy his team exceeded expectations after sealing a berth in the quarter-finals of the 2022 African Nations Championship.
The Lions of Chinguetti achieved this by defeating neighbours Mali 1-0 on Tuesday and finished top of Group D where only one qualification spot was available.
Mauritania have been to CHAN previously on two occasions (2014 and 2018) and finished bottom with no points. It thus marks a phenomenal turnaround under Abdou who claims he has instilled discipline in the team.
“Some people doubted us but that only motivated us. It made us even want to win more. It is the players who believed in themselves and in their ability to win. I am very harsh on them but now we have managed to qualify to the last eight,” Abdou said on the CAF website.
“The game was tough going into the half-time break. There was no room for fear or intimidation. This is how we managed to score. In the second half, we stepped up and became more aggressive. We changed our tactics. We knew that our opponents would look for scoring opportunities, so we did everything to defend well.
“It is an absolute pleasure to write this new page in Mauritania’s history. The result of this match is a result of our hard work. It is difficult to stay at the top. You might fall at any time, but we shall try to maintain the same momentum in the rest of the tournament.”
First victory: ✅
First knockout stage appearance: ✅🇲🇷 Mauritania in DREAMLAND! 🤩#TotalEnergiesCHAN2022 pic.twitter.com/tggi56LJtn
— MARHABA (@CAF_Online) January 25, 2023
Mauritania will hope to continue impressing when they tackle another neighbour in Senegal in the quarter-finals at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba on Friday night.
