Cape Verde’s stunning World Cup campaign has captured the imagination of football fans worldwide, and they are now within touching distance of the knockout rounds.
The Blue Sharks produced one of the tournament’s greatest shocks when they drew with Spain, who sat 65 places above them in Fifa’s world rankings, in their very first World Cup match.
They followed that up with an equally impressive 2-2 draw against two-time winners Uruguay, leaving them third in Group H with two points from two games.
Cape Verde were creative, entertaining and fearless throughout Sunday’s thriller, combining attacking ambition with the defensive steel that stunned Spain in their opener.
The nation of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean has a population of just under 525,000 according to the latest World Bank figures, yet they are holding their own against football’s most established powers.
Goalkeeper Vozinha, who shot from 40,000 Instagram followers to more than 15 million after the Spain match, was largely untroubled this time as Uruguay managed just two shots on target.
His mother, unable to attend the Spain game due to the high cost of obtaining a visa to enter the USA, was present in Miami and witnessed another extraordinary performance.
Kevin Pina opened the scoring with a stunning 30-yard free-kick, as Uruguay’s wall parted while jumping and allowed his effort to arrow through the middle past keeper Fernando Muslera.
Helio Varela then produced a deft touch to take the ball past the stranded Muslera before stroking it into the net to make it 2-2 after Cape Verde had gone behind.
Former South Africa striker Benni McCarthy, who had predicted Cape Verde would lose before kick-off, admitted after the match that he had a “new lease of respect” for the side.
“They really came out to play,” said McCarthy. “They were sensational. I thought they were brave.”
McCarthy added: “The only thing that’s needed is working on their final-third entry, that composure, working on those decisions in the final moment of the game. I think they’ve won a lot of people’s hearts after this performance.”
Former Wales defender Ashley Williams, who also predicted defeat for Cape Verde, described it as the “most entertaining” game he had covered at the World Cup so far.
One Cape Verde fan told BBC Sport at a fan park in the US that “everybody doubted us, everybody thought we weren’t going to make it. We’re here now.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former England forward Sue Smith was equally effusive, saying “it was outstanding from Cape Verde yet again” after they registered 12 shots and four efforts on target.
“The story of this team keeps going,” Smith added, with 10 of their 12 shots coming after half-time as they pushed for a winner.
The result makes Cape Verde the first debutants to go unbeaten across their opening two World Cup games since Senegal in 2002, a remarkable achievement for a nation of their size.
Former Scotland forward James McFadden summed up the mood perfectly, saying: “The biggest thing for me is how much Cape Verde are enjoying themselves. They are enjoying themselves so much. It’s been a joy to watch.”
Williams believes the confidence will carry into their final group game, saying: “They’ll be going into the Saudi Arabia game with their tails up thinking ‘we can qualify here’.”
Cape Verde face Saudi Arabia on Saturday at 01:00 BST, knowing that three points will likely be enough to secure a place in the last 32 of an expanded World Cup that has given them a genuine fighting chance of making history.
