MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cape Verde’s magical start to its first World Cup isn’t over yet. It may just be the beginning.
The small island nation Surprised Spain, the favorites to win the tournament. Last Sunday, they faced two-time World Cup champions Uruguay again, coming from behind to win and ending in a 2-2 draw.
Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde’s first World Cup goal with a free kick and Helio Varela equalized, making the club one of the most surprising teams in the expanded 48-team tournament and now have a legitimate chance to advance to the knockout stages.
“This is thanks to other small national teams, teams that have struggled to qualify for the world championships,” Cape Verde coach Pedro Leyton Brito said through an interpreter, adding that he believed the entire team could continue their historic play and reach the finals.
In Group H, they will face Cape Verde, who have two points with Uruguay. Saudi Arabia in the final group match.
“We are also here to show that the country is small and can face difficulties financially. But if they are resilient, if they can withstand difficulties, they can also be on par with other major teams and players at another level,” he added.
The archipelago off the west coast of Africa has an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 500,000 people, making Cape Verde the third smallest country by population to qualify for the World Cup.
A large crowd of fans at Miami Stadium cheered Uruguay on throughout Sunday’s game, but Cape Verde’s players seemed undeterred.
“When you get on the field, a lot of things are evened out,” Leighton Brito said.
Cape Verde fans, who had watched their side hold Spain to a goalless draw last week, an astonishing result in the competition, continued to celebrate when Pina broke through the Uruguayan wall and took a 1-0 lead in the 21st with a diving shot past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Uruguay took the lead with goals from Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio late in the first half. However, Varela scored his first goal for his country a few minutes after entering the match in the second half, taking advantage of a bad pass by Matias Olivera and catching Muslera well in front of the line to equalize in an empty net.
“I dreamed of something like this,” Varela said in a quote distributed by FIFA. “But I never imagined it would turn out like this. To score my first goal for the national team on my World Cup debut is unbelievable. I’m at a loss for words.”
While Muslera and other Uruguayan players hung their heads in disappointment, Barrera celebrated by jumping into his teammate’s arms and bending over his shoulder.
“I think the result was deserved,” manager Marcelo Bielsa said through an interpreter after the match.
Uruguay failed to take advantage of numerous chances to take the lead in the closing stages, resulting in a second draw. 1-1 finish against Saudi Arabia In the opener. La Celeste will face Spain in their final group stage match and will need a good result to have any chance of progressing.
“Organizational mistakes made by the team always fall on the drivers,” Bielsa added. “What I’m talking about is the head coach. … There’s just no magic recipe to fix them. Needless to say, we paid a very high price for those mistakes.”
It was another special moment for Cape Verde’s Bosinha, who became one of the breakout stars of the tournament after shutting out Spain. 40 year old goalkeeper his mother was there In the stands for Sunday’s game. She missed Cape Verde’s opening game against Spain because she was unable to obtain a visa.
It was also the first World Cup match to feature two starting goalkeepers over the age of 40. Muslera, who played in his 18th World Cup, celebrated his 40th birthday on June 16th.
After the final whistle, Bosinha waved to the crowd as his teammates ran to a corner of the Cape Verde fans. Fans left the stadium cheering and dancing as if celebrating victory.
“You show up, you believe, and we work hard as a team,” Cape Verde defender Stopila said. “People all over the world are watching us play and I think we’re playing very well and I think the quality of the team is high. So now we’re heading to the next game and trying to get to the next game.”
___
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
