Evy Pereira nets Cape Verde’s first-ever WAFCON goal in Mali defeat
Tournament debutants Cape Verde suffered a narrow 3-2 group stage defeat to Mali at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, exiting the competition despite historic maiden goals from Evy Pereira and Alivia Kelly.
Cape Verde’s maiden Women’s Africa Cup of Nations journey came to a close following a thrilling 3-2 defeat against Mali in Casablanca.
Forward Evy Pereira etched her name into national folklore by scoring the island nation’s historic first-ever tournament goal, expertly canceling out Oumou Koné’s opener to level the scoreline in the first half.
The goal came in the 36th minute, seven after they had fallen behind. The 32-year-old Midfielder was well placed to fire home a loose ball after it fell kindly to her path following a setpiece.
Though subsequent goals from Mali put the game out of reach, fellow midfielder Alivia Kelly struck late in the 88th minute to give the side a fighting finish.
Having suffered consecutive losses, Cape Verde is mathematically eliminated ahead of their final group fixture against Cameroon, but leaves the continental stage enriched with valuable experience.
