Burkina Faso kicked off their campaign at the 2023 Nations Cup with a 1-0 victory over Mauritania, thanks to Bertrand Traore’s late winner.
Traore netted the decisive goal from the penalty spot to hand the Burkinabes the winning points and in turn saw the national team score in 15 consecutive AFCON matches.
Notably, it is the first-ever win for Burkina Faso in their opener at the continental event after 13 attempts, a huge feat.
It was a hard-fighting contest as the 2013 finalists were made to dig deep for the win, with Mauritania putting up some good footballing game.
Mauritania caved out better scoring opportunities, but were unable to convert them as Burkinabes’ goalkeeper, Herve Koffi was up on his toes.
The gripping match saw both sides locked in tensed period as the push for goals was characterized by physical show play and evenly matched performance.
As the clock ticked down with things looking as if the spoils will be shared between both teams, Burkina Faso eventually claimed the three points at the death.
Mauritanian skipper Mohamed El Abd fouled Issa Kabore in the 18-yard, and the referee pointed to the spot after the Video Assistant Referees (VAR) check.
Aston Villa man Traore made no mistake from the spot, sending goalie Babacar Niasse the wrong way for the win.
The victory serves as a boost to Burkinabes’ confidence as the tournament proceeds, and it sees them continue their strong record over Mauritania, leaving them with no loss in their last four matches.
