Cape Verde made more World Cup history on Saturday as the tournament debutants reached the round of 32 after a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia in their final Group H match.
Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay in the other group game helped Cape Verde finish second with three points from three draws. Spain topped the group with seven points. Uruguay and Saudi Arabia both finished with two points and went out.
Cape Verde are now the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage. They will face defending champions Argentina in the round of 32 in Miami.
The players stayed on the pitch after the final whistle and watched the closing minutes of Spain’s win on their phones. As soon as the result became official, they celebrated with their fans inside Houston Stadium.
Man of the match Deroy Duarte said the achievement felt unreal.
“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Duarte said. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always dreamed of playing in a World Cup.
“From tomorrow, we’ll focus on the next match. It’s against Argentina, isn’t it? A tough match, but let’s believe. Anything is possible.”
Cape Verde have impressed in their first World Cup. They held Spain to a goalless draw and then earned a 2-2 draw against Uruguay before sealing another draw against Saudi Arabia.
Many players stayed on the field long after the match ended. They took photos, hugged each other and celebrated with Cape Verde flags.
Forward Dailon Livramento said the team wanted to stay true to its style.
“We tried to play football. We tried to play our own style,” he said. “This was the match where we were able to show that.
“In the end, we’ll look at what we could have done better, like finishing off our moves, but that’s for the next match. For now, we’re just going to celebrate.”
Cape Verde created the better chances but could not find the winning goal. Laros Duarte missed the best chance when he was through on goal but failed to beat Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais.
The first half produced few clear chances. Willy Semedo tested the Saudi defence with an effort from a tight angle. Saudi Arabia’s first shot on target came in first half added time when Mohamed Kanno headed straight at 40 year old goalkeeper Vozinha.
Cape Verde pushed harder after the break and finished with 15 attempts on goal. Saudi Arabia struggled to threaten in attack and rarely looked like scoring.
Saudi coach Georgios Donis admitted his side failed to create enough chances.
“We had problems in creating things,” he said. “When you are playing in such a match and unable to control the pace and tempo of the game and in the attack you cannot create chances it is difficult to win a match.”
Saudi Arabia ended the tournament with only one goal from three matches. Their World Cup campaign came to a quiet end as Cape Verde celebrated another famous milestone.
