There were contrasting emotions from the two coaches following Cape Verde's dramatic 1-0 victory over Mauritania in the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations last 16 clash on Monday.

A late Ryan Mendes penalty sealed the win for Cape Verde to send them through to the quarter-finals for the second time in their history.

Cape Verde boss Bubista was delighted with his side's performance: "We are carving our path; we know there are many bigger teams than us, but we are trying to focus on our game to have the opportunity to face these African powerhouses."

"Our goal is to work towards having a stronger squad," Bubista added.

In contrast, Mauritania coach Amir Abdou was left bitterly disappointed after his team conceded a "ridiculous" late goal.

"We are a bit disappointed to exit with this score, especially on an individual error like that," rued Abdou. "We didn't deserve this."

He felt Mauritania could have turned the game around: "We had the opportunity to persist in the match. We could have responded in certain situations."

However, Abdou took pride in his team's overall AFCON performances: "The team showed a good image in this AFCON; we must remain positive for the future."

While Bubista eyes further giant-killing acts, Abdou was left to reflect on what could have been for the tournament debutants.