Burkina Faso take down Mauritania on penalties
Burkina Faso squeezed past Mauritania in the second game of the 2019 WAFU Cup of Nations, winning 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out after their match ended 1-1 at the Stade Lat Dior on Saturday.
The first half was a scrappy affair with neither team to productive in attack as they squandered possession in the final third. Still, Burkina Faso were the better of the two and did manage to fashion some scoring opportunities, albeit not great ones.
In the 15th minute Rene Zoungrana struck the top of the crossbar with a 20-yard shot from an acute angle on the right with the keeper well beaten.
Ten minutes later, though, the Mauritania keeper was it his best with a brilliant low save to deny Issouf Zonon from long range.
The Stallions dominated the rest of the half but didn't manage to threaten the Mauritania goal who themselves were non-existent in attack.
The second half saw the Lions of Chinguetti come out a little more positive with Khan Mohamed Lejoukd having their first shot on goal, but his 20-yard effort sailed just over the Burkina Faso goal.
In the 54th minute The Stallions had a stellar chance when a pin-point cross from Faical Ouedraogo found Mody Cisse unmarked six-yards out, but somehow he skewed his volley wide of the target.
The game's opening goal finally came in the 73rd minute, and against the run of play, when a 22-yard free-kick from Taghy Mohamed Denne deflected into the back of the net to give Mauritania a 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later Burkina Faso could have equalised when a goalmouth scramble inside the Mauritania box fell to Cisse, but he fired straight at the keeper who made a point blank save from four yards out.
In the 85th minute The Stallions were handed a lifeline after the referee awarded a penalty when Mohamed Mbar Mohamed pulled Clement Pitroipa down inside the box. Yannick Pognongo made no mistake from the spot to level matters, 1-1.
Neither team could find a winner in the dying minutes of the match and the game ended all-square which saw the match enter a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.
Burkina Faso showed their steel in the shoot-out to win 4-3 with goalkeeper Aboubacar Sawadogo making a vital save to deny Ahmed Rachid before Pognongo scored the winning penalty.
The Stallions will now progress into the quarterfinals of the Cup competition where they will play the winner of the match between Ghana and Gambia on Oct. 4, while Mauritania will take part in the Plate quarterfinals and play the loser.
Game Information
WAFU Cup of Nations News