Cape Verde coach Luis Antunes hopes critics will start taking his side seriously after they held South Africa to a goalless draw in the opening match of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.
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The Blue Sharks had entered the continental extravaganza with little backing to make it out of Group A, which also contains Angola and Morocco, but a sturdy performance against the host nation has raised more than a few eyebrows.
The second group match on Saturday, between the Angolans and Moroccans, also finished without a goal, leaving all four teams on a point each with two rounds of fixtures remaining before the last-eight.
The little-known island team next square up against the Lions of the Atlas on Wednesday, and Antunes is hoping to once more silence the team's doubters and edge their way closer to a potential quarter-final berth.
"The result against South Africa has given my squad enormous confidence. We had the better chances in that match despite facing the host nation in front of 80 000 supporters," said Antunes.
"I am so happy and so are the people back home. No one really took us seriously before the competition kicked off, but now they know we are no whipping boys.
"We were well organised at the back, restricting South Africa to a couple of half chances, and now we must improve our sharpness up front to achieve a beautiful dream and reach the quarterfinals."
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