Cape Verde beat South Africa to top Group D

Cape Verde have recorded back to back victories against South Africa in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers

Cape Verde recorded back-to-back victories against South Africa when winning 2-1 in Durban to top Group D of African World Cup qualifying.

Galatasaray winger Garry Rodrigues scored both Cape Verde goals to lift his side to six points, having been bottom of the group before kick-off.

Rodrigues’ first came from a free-kick while his second, after 67 minutes, was a bending strike from outside the box.

Andile Jali reduced the deficit two minutes from time.

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Prior to last week, Cape Verde had not scored a goal in the group but successive 2-1 wins, the first of which came in Praia on Friday, have turned their fortunes around.

Meanwhile, South Africa coach Stuart Baxter will face searching questions as South Africa face the prospect of yet another qualifying failure.

Either Burkina Faso or Senegal can replace Cape Verde at the top of the group during their meeting in Ouagadougou.

Cape Verde officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country spanning an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean.

Located 570 kilometres (350 mi) west of the Cape Verde Peninsula in West Africa, the islands cover a combined area of slightly over 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).

Its population of around 512,000 is mostly of mixed European, North African/Berber, Moorish, and sub-Saharan African heritage, and predominantly Roman Catholic, reflecting the legacy of Portuguese rule.

A sizeable Diaspora community exists across the world, slightly outnumbering inhabitants on the islands.

Since the early 1990s, the Island has been a stable representative democracy, and remains one of the most developed and democratic countries in Africa.

Lacking natural resources, its developing economy is mostly service-oriented, with a growing focus on tourism and foreign investment.