Houston (AFP) – World Cup debutants Cape Verde will face reigning champions Argentina in the knockout rounds after drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Friday to extend their fairytale journey. The stalemate in Houston and Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay meant the team ranked 67 finished runners-up behind Spain in Group H.
Having drawn all three group matches, the archipelago nation of just over 500,000 will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Miami on July 3 in another chapter of their remarkable story. The players of Cape Verde — the third-smallest team in World Cup history by population — were in tears afterward, as were some of their fans. The squad waited an agonizing minute or two before news of the Spain win filtered through on a mobile phone, then erupted in celebration.
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“I’m living in a dream to be honest,” midfielder Deroy Duarte told broadcasters. The joyous scenes were replicated in Cape Verde’s capital Praia, where people had watched the big match into the early hours of the morning. “We had this in our minds and heads that we could get to this stage,” said Cape Verde’s coach Bubista, who goes by one name and came to the press conference wrapped in his country’s flag.
“We felt the team was very eager to show this to the whole world. We are proud to get to this stage and again have showed the world that we are a small country but we fight for what we want. To us, nothing is impossible.” Spain, held 0-0 by Cape Verde in the first round of games, finished with seven points, with the debutants on three and Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both on the way home on two. Spain face the team that comes second in Group J, which will be either Algeria or Austria.
With history beckoning, Bubista changed half his starting side, some of it enforced, but retained his hero goalkeeper Vozinha. The 40-year-old stopper single-handedly kept Cape Verde in it as they held out for a famous point against European champions Spain in their first-ever World Cup match. Cape Verde, which is off the west coast of Africa, then claimed a brave 2-2 draw with two-time former champions Uruguay. That gave them a scarcely believable shot at the last 32 coming into the encounter against Saudi Arabia, who themselves were still alive.
At the same time, in Guadalajara, Spain and Uruguay met as an unexpectedly tight group went down to the wire. Cape Verde had slightly the better of the first half in Houston against a Saudi side who drew 1-1 with Uruguay before being thrashed 4-0 by Spain. The Saudis suffered a blow in the 33rd minute when experienced defender Hassan al-Tambakti was stretchered off injured. Spain took the lead towards the end of the first half in Mexico, the news greeted by cheers from Cape Verde fans in Houston.
Willy Semedo fired not too far wide of the Saudi post, but neither side seriously threatened in a tense first half. At that point, Cape Verde were going through at Uruguay’s expense. Three minutes after the break, Jamiro Monteiro had a major chance from close range, but his finish was weak; then Kevin Pina had an effort from distance that whistled just off target.
The tension went up a notch as they entered the final quarter, but Saudi Arabia was strangely lacking in invention even though they were chasing the game. In the 75th minute, goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais kept them in it with a vital stop from Laros Duarte. A point was enough for Cape Verde, but if anything, they were the more likely to score as the match ticked into the dying minutes.
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