Watch South Africa vs Cape Verde Line-Ups, Preview, Picks 19th January 2013 Almost one fifth of Cape Verde’s population would fit in the stands of The Calabash,
the 95,000-capacity stadium where the Blue Sharks will today play their
first ever Africa Cup of Nations match. Being recognised as one of the
16 best African national teams is a milestone in the country’s sports
history, and the highlight thus far was when Cape Verde defeated
four-time Afcon winners, Cameroon, 3-2 on aggregate in qualifying (with a memorable 2-0 win at Estádio da Várzea, Praia City, in the first leg). When the victory in Yaoundé was
official, fireworks went off. Car horns honked from the street. There
were huge parties on each of the nine inhabited islands. Hundreds of
people waited all night long at the airport and they cheered and
applauded the national team when they arrived home at 5:40 am. (For a
sense of the national mood on the eve of Afcon 2013, see the music video
above). Many fans are probably expecting
similar performances against the three teams Cape Verde will face in
Group A; especially as Cape Verde is ranked 15th in Africa, ahead of
Morocco (17), Angola (19) and South Africa (22), according to the
FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. In 2009, Cape Verde played twice against
their Lusophone brothers Angola and won the first match 1-0 and drew the
other 1-1. But the Cape Verdean people are aware of the smallness of
their country, know that they will face two former champions, and that
this is Angola’s seventh participation. So what they expect of the
“Tubarões Azuis” is that they play well, give everything they have and
make the nation proud. And to win one match (at least).
The other fifteen teams won’t have had the kind of problems that Cape Verde have faced in the run-up to the tournament, specifically the reluctance of many players to represent the national team for fear of losing money and damaging their careers in Europe. Even the President of the Republic took part in efforts to raise cash for the Blue Sharks stay in South Africa.
This could, perhaps should, have been Cape Verde’s second appearance at Africa’s top sporting event. We only missed out on the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea by a couple of goals in qualification. But team coach Lúcio Antunes (he’s chums with Jose Mourinho) learned his lesson and dealt properly with the team’s perennial Achilles heel when they played against Madagascar and won 7-1 on aggregate. Then, when confronted with the big boys from Cameroon, he did what he does best: setting the team up to look for chances to counter-attack and exploit the opponent’s mistakes.
Typically, Lúcio Antunes plays a 4-3-3 formation. I expect that between the posts we’ll see Jozimar “Vozinha” Dias, 26, who plays in Angola at Progresso Sambizanga and has decent aerial ability. Full-back Admilson “Gegê” Barros, 24, a player with good awareness and strong tackling ability who play for CS Marítimo (Portugal), will probably retain his place at right back. The skipper and defensive leader is the veteran Fernando “Nando” Neves, 34, who plays for the French side LB Châteauroux from Ligue 2. His partner will be Fernando Varela (FC Vaslui, Romania), 25, who has a physically imposing presence and good aerial ability. On the left side of defence, Carlos “Carlitos” Tavares (AEL FC Limassol, Cyprus), 27, provides good defensive support.
Portuguese-born Marco Soares (AC Omonia, Cyprus), 28, is a solid and experienced defensive midfielder and also a tidy passer. Helping him in the same role will probably be the reliable, versatile and dynamic Toni Varela (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), 26. Elvis “Babanco” Macedo (S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 27, has a more attacking role in the midfield, with the task of opening up the channels for his teammates.
Cape Verde’s star player Ryan Mendes (LOSC Lille, France), 23, has tremendous skills and will lead the attack from the right side with his ability to dribble, cutting inside, trying to break down the defense with either shots on goal or setting up chances for the striker. He scored three goals in the two matches against Madagascar. On the left wing, the supporting forward Heldon “Nhuk” Ramos (CS Marítimo, Portugal), 24, has as his top attributes pace, the ability to dribble and effectiveness from free kicks, scoring a beautiful free-kick in Yaoundé.
In the centre of the attack, SL Benfica’s striker Jorge “Djaniny” Semedo (currently on loan at S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 21, is a tireless worker who scored one of the goals in the home win over Cameroon. Spotted by a Portuguese Mayor visiting Cape Verde, Djaniny played in an amateur league for the team supported by the Mayor, scoring 50 goals in two years. Then he signed a contract with a local Premier League club where he played for one season before signing a contract with SL Benfica.
The other fifteen teams won’t have had the kind of problems that Cape Verde have faced in the run-up to the tournament, specifically the reluctance of many players to represent the national team for fear of losing money and damaging their careers in Europe. Even the President of the Republic took part in efforts to raise cash for the Blue Sharks stay in South Africa.
This could, perhaps should, have been Cape Verde’s second appearance at Africa’s top sporting event. We only missed out on the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea by a couple of goals in qualification. But team coach Lúcio Antunes (he’s chums with Jose Mourinho) learned his lesson and dealt properly with the team’s perennial Achilles heel when they played against Madagascar and won 7-1 on aggregate. Then, when confronted with the big boys from Cameroon, he did what he does best: setting the team up to look for chances to counter-attack and exploit the opponent’s mistakes.
Typically, Lúcio Antunes plays a 4-3-3 formation. I expect that between the posts we’ll see Jozimar “Vozinha” Dias, 26, who plays in Angola at Progresso Sambizanga and has decent aerial ability. Full-back Admilson “Gegê” Barros, 24, a player with good awareness and strong tackling ability who play for CS Marítimo (Portugal), will probably retain his place at right back. The skipper and defensive leader is the veteran Fernando “Nando” Neves, 34, who plays for the French side LB Châteauroux from Ligue 2. His partner will be Fernando Varela (FC Vaslui, Romania), 25, who has a physically imposing presence and good aerial ability. On the left side of defence, Carlos “Carlitos” Tavares (AEL FC Limassol, Cyprus), 27, provides good defensive support.
Portuguese-born Marco Soares (AC Omonia, Cyprus), 28, is a solid and experienced defensive midfielder and also a tidy passer. Helping him in the same role will probably be the reliable, versatile and dynamic Toni Varela (Sparta Rotterdam, Netherlands), 26. Elvis “Babanco” Macedo (S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 27, has a more attacking role in the midfield, with the task of opening up the channels for his teammates.
Cape Verde’s star player Ryan Mendes (LOSC Lille, France), 23, has tremendous skills and will lead the attack from the right side with his ability to dribble, cutting inside, trying to break down the defense with either shots on goal or setting up chances for the striker. He scored three goals in the two matches against Madagascar. On the left wing, the supporting forward Heldon “Nhuk” Ramos (CS Marítimo, Portugal), 24, has as his top attributes pace, the ability to dribble and effectiveness from free kicks, scoring a beautiful free-kick in Yaoundé.
In the centre of the attack, SL Benfica’s striker Jorge “Djaniny” Semedo (currently on loan at S.C. Olhanense, Portugal), 21, is a tireless worker who scored one of the goals in the home win over Cameroon. Spotted by a Portuguese Mayor visiting Cape Verde, Djaniny played in an amateur league for the team supported by the Mayor, scoring 50 goals in two years. Then he signed a contract with a local Premier League club where he played for one season before signing a contract with SL Benfica.
