Mauritania out to make more history with boss ‘like Jose Mourinho’

The beautiful unpredictability of the Africa Cup of Nations has been on full display at this year’s tournament with upsets galore and several high-profile early exits.

Mauritania were responsible for one of the biggest of those shocks when their 1-0 win against two-time champions Algeria in the final game of Group D eliminated Les Verts. The victory was as significant for Mauritania as it was for Algeria.

The Lions of Chinguetti’s first ever Afcon win, achieved at the ninth attempt, ensured that the north-west African nation will make their debut in the last 16.

Mauritania had seemed down and out after narrow defeats by Burkina Faso and Angola, but a knockout match with Cape Verde now awaits at Abidjan’s Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium on Monday.

“It is amazing for us to reach the next round for the first time, a great feeling for the team to know we have made the people of Mauritania happy,” centre-back Lamine Ba told BBC Sport Africa.

“We received a lot of good videos and messages on social media — I’m sorry I can’t reply to everyone. Also, a lot of Mauritanians live in Cote d’Ivoire and it has been great to see them here.

“We enjoyed this moment but in this competition you cannot spend time thinking about the result — we are already focused on the next game and are working towards passing through the next round.”

Boss Abdou is ‘like Jose Mourinho’

Ba made his debut for Mauritania in 2022 and his first taste of the Afcon finals has been one to remember. The former Paris St-Germain academy prospect played a vital role in repelling Algeria’s attack as his side held on for arguably the biggest result in the country’s history.

“We feel proud because it’s Algeria and before the game nobody thought we could do it because we lost the first two games,” France-born Ba said. “But we played well in those games, even though we didn’t win. Honestly, I knew we could do it against Algeria.”

Mauritania have been led impressively by coach Amir Abdou, who helped minnows Comoros reach the last 16 on their debut at the finals two years ago.

Mauritania coach Amir Abdou was carried off the pitch following their celebrations after beating Algeria

The Frenchman has repeated the trick with the team ranked 105th in the world and Ba says the squad are enjoying being guided by Abdou.

“Our coach is really a man of the people,” Ba, who plays his club football in Croatia, explains. “He is a leader who makes his players believe, like Jose Mourinho. We want to give our all for him and he is very clear about the idea of how he wants to play - it is up to us to follow this.

“He showed what he can do before with Comoros. For sure, this is a very good coach.”

For Ba, the experience of reaching the last 16 was especially emotional as he was sharing the pitch with his older brother El Hadji.

“When I do good things on the pitch I never hear from him — but any small mistake, he will let me know about it,” Ba laughs. “He is my older brother, so of course he likes to give me instructions. To be honest, it does help me stay focused.

“It was a proud moment when we first played together for Mauritania and our father was in the stadium. When I play for Mauritania all of my team-mates feel like brothers — but to have my actual brother next to me is something very special that I cannot explain.”

Blue Sharks will be ‘tough’ in last 16

Cape Verde have been a great example to Africa’s smaller nations, reaching the quarter-finals on their tournament debut in 2013 and the last 16 at the 2021 edition.

The Blue Sharks provided one of the stories of a hugely entertaining group stage in Cote d’Ivoire, winning Group B ahead of former winners Ghana and record seven-time champions Egypt.

“It’s not a big team or a big country like Senegal, Algeria or Cote d’Ivoire but they have done such a good job,” Ba says of their last-16 opponents.

“They play amazing football and have scored some great goals. We know it will be a tough match but we can do the job and reach the quarter-finals.”

Ba is a player with plenty of self-belief, which he credits to his time developing at PSG with the likes of Chelsea and France striker Christopher Nkunku.

“When you are at a big club like PSG, there is a different mentality,” the 26-year-old said. “You start every season expecting to win every match, every trophy. You want everything. I didn’t end up winning a lot of trophies yet in my career, but I still have this mentality from PSG — like a coldness when I win matches.

“Even against Algeria, it was a great feeling but I am straight away thinking about the next game. For me, Afcon is a chance to show my ability and my mentality.

“If I tell you my goals you will think I am crazy but I want the maximum — to play in the Champions League, to show my qualities. I still know I can play at this level and can achieve something good for me and my family.”

Determination and a dream

For now, Ba’s attention is fixed on Cape Verde. Aside from the islanders, the likes of Equatorial Guinea and Namibia have also made waves at the tournament, while traditional continental heavyweights such as Ghana, Algeria and Tunisia have failed to progress.

Ba feels that many of the historically powerful teams continue to underestimate their opponents, which plays into the hands of teams like Mauritania.

“The quality of football across Africa has really improved a lot,” Ba says. “I can obviously speak about Mauritania and our federation has done a really good job.

“We respect all the players who came before us and what they did for Mauritania but now the set-up is a lot more professional and that is why we have qualified for three [Afcon] tournaments in a row.

“All of the small nations have improved and with that comes more confidence. We start to think, ‘Why not us?’. That’s why we went into the Algeria game with determination.

“The big African nations haven’t really accepted this change yet, but they should as this is what African football is like now - any team can win.”