If one were to ask a randomly chosen World Cup fan about the team they consider the biggest surprise of the tournament, chances are they would quickly say “Cape Verde”. The small island nation came into the tournament as the ultimate underdog and ended up impressing even the harshest football critics. Although their World Cup journey came to an end after a tough game against Argentina, they will not be forgotten.
Some fans foretold Cape Verde’s early defeat when it was revealed that their first game would be played against Spain, one of the main candidates for the World Cup title. The match was expected to be a bloodbath at the expense of the smaller team, but ended up being anything but. Cape Verde held their own against Spain, and the game ended in a goalless draw: a disappointment for the favorites and a great joy for the underdogs.
Cape Verde continued the good streak in their match against Uruguay. This time, the ball did find the back of the net more than once over the course of the 90 minutes, yet again, the game ended in a draw. This put the team at two points with one game still to go. A good score against Saudi Arabia and a favorable result of the game between the two opponents they had already played could thus lead to them directly advancing into the knockout phase.
For the third time during the group stage, Cape Verde finished the game in a draw. While the result could have been frustrating under different circumstances, it was anything but disappointing for the team. Altogether, they earned three points in the group stage. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both finishing with only two, therefore, Cape Verde jumped right behind leading Spain. Cape Verde became the smallest nation to ever qualify for the knockout phase of the World Cup.
Unfortunately, Cape Verde’s very first game in the knockout stage was shaping up to be quite a tough one as, due to their finishing position, they were paired up with the reigning champions, Argentina. Lionel Messi opened the score for his country with an impressive shot in the 29th minute. The Argentinians held the lead going into the second half, but lost it when Deroy Duarte found a way past the Argentine defense.
Despite Argentina’s many attacks, they were unable to put the ball in Vozinha’s net. For the fourth time during the World Cup, Cape Verde finished the standard time in a draw. Unlike the other games, however, this one needed to have a winner and thus 30-minutes were added onto the clock.
Argentina, through the legs of Lisandro Martinez, scored in just the second minute of the added time. Cape Verde didn’t take it lying down. A little over ten minutes later, Sidny Lopes Cabral managed an absolutely beautiful goal just under the crossbar. Just like that, the game was equalized once more, leading the fans to wonder whether it would go on to be yet another World Cup fixture resolved through a penalty shootout. In the end, this wasn’t necessary. A corner in the 111th minute gave Argentina the final goal they needed, sealing them as the winner and eliminating the island nation from the competition.
Even though Cape Verde bid their farewell to the World Cup, their story was one of the most surprising and entertaining parts of the tournament thus far. The team was praised not only by the fans, but also by their opponents. When Messi was asked about the game, he said that he knew they were in for a tough match.
“There is a reason this team hasn’t lost to Spain and Uruguay (…) It was kill, kill, kill, and nobody gives you anything for free. Although we are always disparaging teams based on name, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy at all.”
Messi wasn’t the only big name in football to praise Cape Verde. Zlatan Ibrahimović had nothing but admiration for the small nation:
“These guys, they’re heroes. This is heroes. They became idols of their small island, and they are stars. They didn’t lose any game during 90 minutes, important to say. They almost made it in this game. I think the whole world didn’t believe it was possible, maybe. Or I would say that small island didn’t believe it was possible.”
Cape Verde’s run was more than just a great showing of an underdog. As Thierry Henry said:
“The story is, was, and always will be Cabo Verde (…) I know they ended up losing the game. But they won our heart. I have to say that it’s just magical.”
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Cape Verde’s final game, just like their general performance in the World Cup, was nothing short of remarkable. Despite the odds being against them, match after match, they showed that they did not qualify by accident and that they should not be disregarded. They will live on in football history, beloved by fans and players alike.
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