By Emmanuel Nduka
Cape Verde’s remarkable FIFA World Cup adventure came to a heartbreaking end on Friday, but the African debutants left the tournament with an extraordinary record—without losing a single match in regulation time. The tiny island nation pushed defending champions Argentina to extra time before eventually falling 3-2 after 111 minutes in a thrilling Round of 32 encounter.
Cape Verde, the smallest country ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage, twice fought back from behind against the reigning world champions before finally succumbing to a late winner in extra time, narrowly missing one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
Despite the defeat, head coach Bubista praised his players for their courage and resilience.
“I don’t think any other team could have scored two goals against Argentina,” Bubista said.
“It shows the character of our team and how skilled they are. We did our best and we did it with bravery. I’m so proud of what my players did.
“Being able to equalise twice shows how resilient our team is. I’m very proud of what we did throughout the tournament.
“I can only thank the team for their effort and showing so much heart.”
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni also paid tribute to the spirited African side after his team survived a major scare.
“I have to give credit to our opponents,” Scaloni said. “The truth is, when people say there’s no such thing as an easy opponent, today Cape Verde proved they’re a great team.”
The result brought to a close a historic World Cup campaign for Cape Verde, who captured global attention with disciplined performances and fearless displays against some of football’s biggest nations.
Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, emerged as one of the tournament’s surprise stars after helping his side hold European champions Spain to a goalless draw in their opening group match.
Reflecting on the team’s exit, the experienced goalkeeper said the players had every reason to be proud.
“Our team fought. Our team did everything it could to win the match,” Vozinha said. “We couldn’t do it, and we’re sad about the result. But we have every reason to be satisfied and proud of the match we played and of everything we achieved during this World Cup.”
He added: “We have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world. Today, we fought on an equal footing against Argentina.”
Cape Verde also made history by scoring their first-ever World Cup goals in a 2-2 draw with Uruguay before producing a memorable performance against Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
Although their fairytale run ended in extra time, the Blue Sharks depart the tournament having remained unbeaten across 90 minutes in every match they played—an achievement few expected from a nation with a population of just over half a million.
Their run to the Round of 32 also earned them an estimated $11 million in FIFA prize money, providing a significant boost to football development in the island nation.
“This is the first time we are here and we’ve done really well,” Bubista said.
“We may be a small country but we can play against the best teams. We want to be better and we want to evolve so we have more opportunities to face up to the big dogs with a better chance of winning.
“The players have to be proud for their performance throughout the tournament and representing our country.”
