MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Cape Verde are going home, but when the TV companies put together their montages at the end of this World Cup, the team from the small group of islands off the west coast of Africa will be featured heavily.
Images of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha‘s diving saves in the 0-0 draw against Spain; the celebrations after the first two World Cup goals in their history saved a 2-2 draw against Uruguay; Sidny Lopes Cabral‘s stunning wonder strike in the 3-2 defeat against Argentina on Friday night.
If World Cups were measured in moments, then Cape Verde would be champions. In many ways, they leave having already won something much bigger than a golden trophy.
In the aftermath of the heartbreaking extra-time defeat to Argentina, which ended their World Cup ride on Friday, Vozinha said the team’s performances at this tournament “have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world.”
For others, it has literally put Cape Verde on the map.
“Nobody has to ask where Cape Verde is now,” defender Pico Lopes said. “They know where we are.”
If Lionel Messi and Argentina didn’t know before, they certainly do now. As Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni sat down for his postmatch news conference at the Hard Rock Stadium, he let out a sigh as if he had only just escaped an emotional wringer.
“Everyone thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but we knew it wouldn’t be,” he said. “The match was ugly for us. We struggled.”
It was quite the compliment for a nation of around 530,000 people after Cape Verde pushed the holders to the brink of what would have been the biggest World Cup shock in the history of the competition.
Cape Verde are the third-smallest country to qualify for the World Cup, behind Iceland and Curacao, and the smallest to reach the knockout rounds. And it took a 111th-minute winner from mighty Argentina to send them home. “We were so close,” lamented head coach Pedro “Bubista” Brito afterward.
Part of the fascination with Cape Verde’s story is the mystique.
Cameroon turned up to the 1990 World Cup with a team of relative unknowns and stunned defending champions Argentina 1-0. It was a result which made players such as Francois Omam-Biyik and Roger Milla household names overnight.
Cape Verde have a similar charm. Vozinha, who plays in the second tier of Portuguese football, had 50,000 Instagram followers before the tournament. It’s now close to 20 million.
Lopes, who has spent his entire career in the League of Ireland, was approached to represent Cape Verde on LinkedIn. He ignored the first message — in Portuguese — and it was only when a follow-up in English was sent nine months later that he realized it was genuine.
But if players such as Vozinha and Lopes arrived feeling inferior to many of the global superstars at the tournament, they didn’t show it. The giants of Spain were kept at bay thanks to Vozinha’s seven saves, and they led against Uruguay for more than 20 minutes before a goalless draw with Saudi Arabia earned them an historic qualification into the round of 32. Trailing Argentina 3-2, only a fine late save from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez stopped them from making it 3-3.
Cape Verde leave having played against three former World Cup winners, but without losing any game inside 90 minutes. According to Bubista, it was just as important that they did it the right way.
Asked to assess the tournament as a whole, he repeatedly stressed that his team could have approached it with a different plan. They were stubborn and organized, but not to the point where they were simply trying to spoil games. The defeat to Argentina will go down as one of the World Cup’s greatest ties.
“We did our best and we did it with bravery,” Bubista said. “We stayed true to our identity. I’m very proud of what we did throughout the tournament. More than just playing, it was about showing the world our identity.
“Being a small country is no impediment. We could have played in a different way, but we chose not to. That goes back to our pride. I can only thank the team for their effort and showing so much heart. They showed what our country is about. Everyone should thank them for what they did for this tournament.”
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Burley: Cape Verde should be proud of going toe-to-toe with Argentina
FIFA president Gianni Infantino certainly will. There is no better advert for the expanded 48-team format than stories such as Cape Verde’s, which have captured the public’s imagination.
Bubista revealed there were tears in the dressing room after the defeat to Argentina, but they won’t last long. Cape Verde leave with their reputation enhanced immeasurably and with an army of new fans. Vozinha, even at 40, and some of his younger teammates are likely to earn transfers to new clubs this summer to capitalize on their newfound fame.
Having finished the final answer of his postmatch news conference in one of the dressing rooms, Bubista stood up and was applauded out of the room. His response was to turn to the gathered reporters and touch his heart.
It was a fitting final act for Cape Verde’s World Cup journey after Bubista and team captured so many hearts along the way. Their tournament is over, but the memories will last a lifetime.
