Cape Verde loving AFCON so far

[Folami David]

Football history is full of unlikely upsets and fairytale victories, but few compare with the tale the dreamweavers of the Cape Verde Islands are spinning in their first ever appearance in the Africans Nations Cup finals.
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Their progress from an obscure footballing backwater ranked 182nd out of Fifa's 200-odd members a decade ago to a place just outside a top 50 last year is a remarkable rise by any standards.
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Compared to club football, their arrival equates to the rise of German village side Hoffenheim, who came from regional obscurity to a place in the Bundesliga in 2008.
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Reaching the Nations Cup last eight is reminiscent of Wimbledon, who rose from the anonymity of the English minor league game when they won the old FA Amateur Cup in 1963 to reach their top tier and beat mighty Liverpool in the FA Cup itself in 1988.
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Asked if Mourinho had been in touch to congratulate Cape Verde on their success, Antunes said no but that he had been in touch with Mourinho to wish him happy birthday.