Cape Verde put up a strong performance to defeat Guinea Bissau 4-0 in their opening match of the WAFU-A Women's Cup at Estadio Marcelo Leitao, Sal, Cape Verde on Friday.
Having finished fourth in 2020, the Cape Verdeans sought to better their previous outing, getting off to a fine start when Vania Moreira netted from a goalmouth scramble in the 10th minute.
Ten minutes later, Joseane Fernandes doubled the lead for the rampant hosts with a long-range effort from a free-kick that beat goalkeeper Alemeida Nandinha.
Five minutes before the half time break, Quade Nadi and Nhaga Pasfan came close to reducing the deficit for the Guineans but could not beat brilliant goalkeeper Jacinta Rodrigues.
Despite a two-goal advantage, the ruthless host went on to add the third through Moreira, who raced into the box through the middle after stealing the ball before firing past keeper Nandinha.
After the recess, the Guineans did well enough to keep the hosts at bay but Sasha Wahnon outjumped her marker to head home the fourth 10 minutes after the restart to seal the win.
Vania Moreira was handed the Woman-of-the-Match award after she contributed a first-half brace in Cape Verde's opening win.
REACTIONS
*Vania Moreira, Woman of the Match: *"It's an exciting, rewarding thing to receive this award. I want to thank all my colleagues. I feel proud to win this for the first time since I've been in the national team, since 2018. I dedicate this to all over Cape Verde. For the next game, we will train hard every day and try to improve even more to help Cape Verde reach the final."
Antonio Romao, Guinea Bissau head coach: "We have accepted defeat because they [Cape Verde] were better than ours. Cape Verde was very good, were the superior side and deserved to win. Next match, we will try to improve, because Mauritania we already know their players. Cape Verde, we didn't know any players, but for Mauritania that we played less than a year ago, they are almost the same team, so it will be better than today."
