The Mauritania national team was on the verge of securing a valuable draw at the beginning of their journey in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
However, a catastrophic mistake led to a fatal defeat.
Burkina Faso secured a 1-0 victory over Mauritania on Tuesday in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Salam Stadium, as part of Group D competition.
Bertrand Traore scored the only goal of the match from a penalty in the 94th minute.
With this result, Burkina Faso tops the group with three points, followed by Angola and Algeria with one point each.
Mauritania sits at the bottom of the group with no points.
In the next round, Algeria will face Burkina Faso, while Mauritania will meet Angola.
Match Summary
The match began calmly, and in the 19th minute, Cedric Badolo of Burkina Faso found himself on the edge of the penalty area, received the ball, and took a shot that went over the goal.
In the 30th minute, Idrissa Thiam took a free-kick, but the Burkina Faso goalkeeper made an impressive save.
Burkina Faso players claimed a penalty for handball, but the referee did not award anything.
The play was paused for a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, but no decision was made.
The start of the second half was uneventful until the 77th minute when Mauritania’s Sidi Bona took a powerful shot, but Burkina Faso’s goalkeeper Herve Koffi made a save.
In the 82nd minute, Boubacar Niasse, the Mauritania goalkeeper, stopped a clear goal-scoring opportunity, but Bertrand Traore followed up and took a shot, only to be denied by the outstanding goalkeeper.
Burkina Faso appealed for a penalty in the 90th minute after Issa Kapouré was fouled.
The referee turned to VAR to review the incident, ultimately awarding a penalty to Burkina Faso.
Bertrand Traore stepped up to take the penalty, successfully converting it into the net, sealing a hard-fought victory for Burkina Faso.
