Cape Verde draw with Uruguay to continue wild, glorious World Cup adventure

David Sneyd reports from Miami Stadium

Uruguay 2

Cape Verde 2

CAPE VERDE CONTINUE this wild, glorious World Cup adventure.

From the heroics of a 0-0 stalemate with Spain to the euphoric mayhem of a 2-2 draw with Uruguay.

They will feel they could have left with more the way they finished so strongly once again.

What a thrill their campaign has been so far.

There is no quitting in this team. On the biggest stage of all, their players continue to perform with courage, conviction and enough class to inspire belief that they can do what is necessary against Saudi Arabia in the final group game to reach the knockout stages.

At the heart of their story, of course, is Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes. And if there are two moments that sum up his character, both came deep in second-half stoppage time. He was beaten out wide by substitute Darwin Nunez but has a teammate to cover.

Seconds later he was the last man. Exposed and at the mercy of his body’s reserves of energy. Agustin Canobbio burst towards goal. A killer moment beckoned. But Pico never stopped. He strained and strained and strained. He got close enough to throw his body at the ball. The Uruguayan lost his nerve with Pico hunting him down. The shot was wild and Cape Verde survived.

But this was more than survival.

This was a triumph of character. Of quality.

All around there were heroes in red. Goalkeeper Vozinha was beaten twice and didn’t quite require the same performance of a lifetime as he did against Spain, but his mother was there to cheer him on after obtaining a visa and the joy spread throughout.

Alongside Pico, Diney Borges was a colossus, while Sidny Lopes Cabral is just enough of a head-the-ball to make you believe anything is possible with this Cape Verde team.

Although they must do without him for the game with Saudi Arabia due to a second yellow card.

Cape Verde took the lead with a stunning free-kick and were able to celebrate a glorious moment in their history: a first World Cup goal.

Kevin Pina’s 35-yard strike will mean his name will go down in lore.

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They will be able to delve into the depths of Creole to find the superlatives required for the moment.

Their second equaliser through substitute Helio Varela was equally superb.

Tears of joy and roars of delight greeted both goals. We are witnessing generational joy in real time. It is contagious. This is what a team should look like. This is what every team should fight like.

And when things began to go wrong for Cape Verde they did not panic. Composure combined with confidence is a dangerous thing.

Uruguay equalised just before the break through Max Araujo and then, in the sixth minute of first-half injury time, a well-worked move created the opening for Canobbio to slot home a lovely, deft side-foot volley from close range.

Uruguay rejoiced. Their manager, Marcelo Bielsa, leapt from his the blue cooler he sits on and embraced his staff.

Then, when the players returned for the second half, Canobbio searched for familiar faces in the crowd. Maybe they were friends, more than likely family. Might even have been Luis
Suarez seeing as the camera in the stadium panned to him every few seconds.

Uruguay will feel they bit off more than they could chew against this Cape Verde side. They were relentless.

Anyway, Canobbio waved excitedly, he gestured frantically and then he lifted both of his arms in the air triumphantly. Of course, he was fully entitled to savour his own World Cup moment.

But there was still work to be done. He got a shout from his teammate and then switched back into game mode.

Cape Verde did, too. Pico will kick himself for switching off for just a second in the build up to Uruguay’s equaliser but other than that the Shamrock Rovers centre back was superb once again, reading play with interceptions, making several blocks and generally ensuring heads didn’t drop.

Both sides were feeling very differently about themselves coming into this game.

Uruguay were feeling the heat after scraping a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, an improved second-half performance at least instilling some confidence that their entire campaign would not fall flat.

Nunez was the high-profile victim of that lethargic and disjointed display. The former Liverpool forward was dropped to the bench as Bielsa went about reconfiguring his attack, and the introduction of Canobbio on the right side would prove inspired.

Cape Verde, of course, were embracing the afterglow of that historic 0-0 draw with Spain.

They had momentum and belief, not just belief that how they went about their business against the reigning European champions in Atlanta would suffice yet again, but encouragement that they could do more in possession and pose a threat in the final third.

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They delivered on that front.

On both flanks they showed that Uruguay were susceptible to bursting driving runs. Cabral will miss the decisive final game and his presence will be missed.

He’s a dynamo, showcasing his talents from the left with a mixture of panache and petulance. It’s a potent cocktail and Cape Verde were certainly drunk on the possibilities of securing a place in the knockout stages when they took the lead on 21 minutes.

Uruguay opted for a two-man wall of Federico Vinas and Araújo from 35 yards out. They can’t blame the scorching Miami heat for melting away and allowing Pina’s fierce low drive to whizz through and beyond the outstretched hands of Fernando Muslera.

Uruguay were floundering and such was the confidence of their rivals, Borges slalomed out and attempted to lob Muslera form inside his own half. The ball fell short, Arcanjo went down with cramp, Vinas offered to assist, but as Uruguay advanced up the field the forward dropped his opponent’s outstretched leg to join an attack.

A Bentancur cross from the left went deep to the back, Cabaral’s attempt at a headed clearance struck the post, catching out Vozinha as well as Pico and Araujo reacted first to head in from a few yards out.

It was a lifeline that turned into much more in the sixth minute of first-half injury time when a well-worked move led to Araujo nodding down for Canobbio to score.

As the second half wore on, Cape Verde needed a second wind. They got it in the form of Bubista’s subs, although Uruguay’s lack of concentration aided the cause.
Centre back Mathias Olivera played a sloppy square ball into the middle and Muslera decided to race from his box to try and make amends. He was in no man’s land and made to pay on 61 minutes.

With his first two touches of the ball, Helio took it around the goalkeeper and as it bounced awkwardly he judged his finish perfectly to make it look simple.

In these circumstances it was anything but. Cape Verde had another moment to celebrate. There were more tears, more dancing, more joy.

There is still more to do, too, but for Cape Verde it feels like the possibilities are endless.

Uruguay: Fernando Muslera; Guillermo Varela, Sebastien Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Juan Sanabria; Manuel Ugarte (Nicolas de la Cruz 70), Rodrigo Bentancur; Agustin Canobbio, Federico Valverde (captain), Maximilliano Araujo; Federico Vinas (Darwin Nunes 70).

Cape Verde: Vozinha; Steven Moreira, Roberto ‘Pico’ Lopes, Diney Borges, Sidny Lopes Cabral; Kevin Pina (captain (Laros Duarte 71); Arcanjo (Deroy Duarte HT), Ryan Mendes, Jamiro Monterio (Jair Semedo Monterio 80), Garry Rodrigues (Helio Varelo 59) ; Gilson Tavares (Nuno Da Costa 59).

Referee: Espen Eskas.