Cape Verde holds Uruguay to 2:2 draw and keeps round-of-16 hopes alive

Cape Verde, an island nation with fewer than 600,000 inhabitants off the West African coast, is, after Curaçao and Iceland, the third-smallest country ever to take part in a World Cup finals. The team sits 67th in the FIFA world rankings and has previously only stood out at major regional tournaments. That this squad can compete nonetheless is, in the view of Passau-based ethnologist Christian Ungruhe, down to the broad geographic spread of its players: "Many players come into contact with top European clubs early on and are trained at a correspondingly high level, so this success doesn't actually surprise me all that much."

Pina's free kick as a historic moment

The Cape Verdeans' first-ever goal at a World Cup finals was also the highlight of the evening: in the 21st minute – other sources date the strike to the 29th minute – Kevin Pina curled a direct free kick from around 30 meters over the wall and into the net for 1:0. The 29-year-old, who is under contract with Russian club FK Krasnodar, sought out his daughter in the stands after the goal and described his feelings in a single word: "Stolz, Stolz, Stolz!"

Uruguay, which – based on the experiences of earlier decades – comes across as a fair competitor above all thanks to its coach Marcelo Bielsa, hit back, however. In the 44th minute, Maxi Araujo equalized, and just a few seconds before the break, Agustin Canobbio made it 2:1 for the South Americans in the sixth minute of stoppage time. For Uruguay, which trails Spain (4 points) in second place in Group H with 2 points, it was the result of a half in which two goals were conceded within seven minutes.

Varela's dream goal and Uruguay's lapse

After the restart, Helio Varela, who had only been substituted on a few minutes earlier, equalized in the 61st minute. Uruguay defender Mathias Olivera played the ball under no pressure straight to Varela, who accepted the gift. Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera had needlessly left his goal and arrived a step too late. For Varela, who is only 24 and plays for SC Portimonense in Portugal, it was the first goal in a national-team shirt – and the fulfillment of a dream: "Davon habe ich immer geträumt, aber ich hätte nie gedacht, dass es auf diese Weise passieren würde."

In the 70th minute, Uruguay still had what appeared to be a chance to grab the winner when a corner was deflected by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vózinha onto the post and Maxi Araujo fired in from close range. The referee and the video referee, however, ruled it offside and did not award the goal. For the 40-year-old custodian, whose contract at Portugal's GD Chaves was not renewed and who is currently without a club, it was nonetheless a memorable evening: according to FIFA, his social-media following grew during the tournament from around 50,000 to 15.3 million.

Fair-play debate over Viñas and Bielsa

A scene in the first half caused a stir when Cape Verde's Telmo Arcanjo was down on the pitch with a cramp and Uruguay striker Federico Viñas initially rushed to help. However, when it became clear that his own team was developing a promising chance, he left the grounded opponent where he lay and sprinted into the penalty area. Viñas justified his behavior after the match: "Mein Gegenspieler brauchte mich. Aber mein Team brauchte mich noch mehr." Cape Verde coach Bubista was visibly annoyed and called to mind the reputation of the Uruguayan coach: "Ich war verärgert über diese Szene. Denn Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguays Trainer) lebt uns in jeder Pressekonferenz und in jedem Spiel Fair Play vor. Von ihm haben wir alle gelernt, was Fair Play bedeutet." Bubista said he had raised the matter with Bielsa but received no answer.

The background to the controversy dates back to 2019, when Bielsa, then manager of Leeds United, had instructed his team to allow Aston Villa to score unopposed after an opponent was injured. Bielsa was later awarded the FIFA Fair Play Award for this.

Outlook: Final group match against Saudi Arabia

Cape Verde can book its first-ever place in a World Cup round of 16 with a win against Saudi Arabia on the third and final matchday, which takes place on June 27 at 2 a.m. CET. Should Uruguay simultaneously lose to Spain or score fewer goals than the Cape Verdeans, the team would even go through as group winner. Captain Kevin Pina was already looking ahead after the match: "Jetzt geht es darum, unserem Volk weiter Freude zu bereiten."

Bubista, who has been in charge of the team for six years and scouts players of Cape Verdean heritage worldwide, sees the team's run so far as proof of its journey: "Egal, wie klein du auch bist, wenn du den Willen hast, für das zu kämpfen, was du haben willst, dann erreichst du es auch meistens." Roberto Lopes, a Dublin-born center-back of Shamrock Rovers, spoke of a special story: "Das ist eine verrückte Story."

Personal stories: Vózinha and the diaspora

For Vózinha, whose nickname means "little granny" and who as a child used to go to his grandmother when he was teased by other kids, the evening in Miami was also a personal highlight. His mother, who had been unable to travel to the match against Spain due to an unaffordable visa fee and had sent a video message ("Seid stark und mutig, blaue Haie! Ich möchte, dass ihr gut spielt und glänzt. Glaubt an euch, dann wird alles gut."), was live in the stadium this time – it was the first time she had ever left the Cape Verdean islands.

Cape Verde has been independent from Portugal since 1975 and is considered one of the countries with the highest diaspora rate in the world: more Cape Verdeans live abroad than on the islands themselves. This distribution is also reflected in the squad: while Uruguay can call on players such as Fede Valverde of Real Madrid and Mathias Olivera of SSC Napoli, many of the "Blue Sharks" play in lower European leagues – in Ireland, Finland or the Portuguese second division, for example. One well-known name is missing from the squad: Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, known as Bebé, who played for Manchester United between 2010 and 2014 and is currently under contract with UD Ibiza in the Spanish third division, was not called up.

The reaction to the courageous performance was also positive internationally. The Guardian described the team as "Underdog-Helden der WM". It fits the picture that players such as Varela, who around three years ago turned down a call-up for the Africa Cup of Nations in order to help his club SC Portimonense in their relegation battle, have now become the heroes of a historic evening.

Context: The 48-nation World Cup

Alongside the action on the pitch, a remark by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin also caused a stir, when he described the 48-nation World Cup as a source of "völlig uninteressanter Spiele". Football associations from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean – also signed by the Cape Verdean federation – rejected the statement in a joint declaration: "Wir weisen diese Äußerungen respektvoll, aber entschieden zurück" and "Wir sind überzeugt, dass jede qualifizierte Nation Respekt verdient."

In a parallel group match in Atlanta, Spain had previously fulfilled its assignment: after the 0:0 against Cape Verde in the opener, the Iberians defeated their group opponent, with goals from Lamine Yamal (10th) and an own goal by Hassan Al-Tambakti (49th), among others. Spain leads Group H with four points, ahead of Uruguay and Cape Verde (2 each) and bottom side Saudi Arabia (1).