MIAMI — Cape Verde’s World Cup campaign ended in extra time, but the small island nation left the tournament with a collection of defining moments. Highlights included 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha’s diving saves in a 0-0 draw with Spain, the celebrations after the first two World Cup goals in Cape Verde history that secured a 2-2 draw with Uruguay, and Sidny Lopes Cabral’s spectacular strike in a narrow 3-2 loss to Argentina.
The holders advanced via a 111th-minute winner that sent Cape Verde home, but the margin did not reflect the closeness of the contest. Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said, “Everyone thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but we knew it wouldn’t be,” adding, “The match was ugly for us. We struggled.” Head coach Pedro “Bubista” Brito lamented, “We were so close.”
Cape Verde became the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout stage and the third-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, behind Iceland and Curacao. The team played three former World Cup winners during the tournament and did not lose any match inside 90 minutes. A goalless draw with Saudi Arabia clinched a historic place in the last 32 after the side had led Uruguay for more than 20 minutes and forced seven saves from Spain’s attackers.
Individual stories captured attention off the field as well. Vozinha, who plays in Portugal’s second tier, saw his Instagram following jump from about 50,000 before the tournament to close to 20 million afterward. Pico Lopes, who spent his career in the League of Ireland, said he first ignored an approach to represent Cape Verde on LinkedIn when the initial message arrived in Portuguese, only to realise its legitimacy after a follow-up in English nine months later. “Nobody has to ask where Cape Verde is now,” Lopes said. “They know where we are.”
Bubista stressed the manner of the team’s progress, saying the players were “stubborn and organized” without merely trying to frustrate opponents. “We did our best and we did it with bravery,” he said. “We stayed true to our identity. I’m very proud of what we did throughout the tournament.”
