Miami [US], July 4 : Cabo Verde and their goalkeeper Vozinha concluded a memorable FIFA World Cup debut after going down to defending champions Argentina 3-2 in a valiantly contested match at Miami on Friday.
Cabo Verde's World Cup campaign was a winless one, yet another massive example of why statistics cannot always do justice. A goalless draw against defending champions Spain, draws against Saudi Arabia and former champions Uruguay earned them a historic round of 32 berth, which was the least expected thing in fans' minds. Then in their round of 32 clash against Messi-led Argentina, they took the game to the extra time, keeping things level at 2-2 before an unfortunate own goal from Diney Borges gave the defending champions a slot in the round of 16.
The defending champions found their biggest on-field and off-field superstar in their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha. Despite his social media fan following skyrocketing during the tournament, the veteran did not seem to soak in this dopamine-boosting distraction at all, continuing to produce sensational saves throughout the tournament. Seven saves came against the Euro champions Spain, while he saved a total of eight saves for Argentina (as per ESPN FC), the biggest match of his match.
Vozinha made a total of 18 saves in this tournament; the only goalies aged 40 or older to register more saves at a single WC are Peter Shilton (28 in 1990 for England) and Dino Zoff (27 in 1982 for Italy), as per OptaJoe.
Only Paraguay's Orlando Gill (19), and Curacao's Ely Room (20) made more saves than him during the tournament.
Cabo Verde played out unbeaten against three world champion teams, the 2010 champions and third-ranked Spain, the 19th-ranked two-time champions Uruguay and now the second-placed, defending champions Argentina, showcasing that they do belong to the biggest of the stages.
In all, they scored four goals, conceded five, drew three matches and lost one. Coming to the match, Cabo Verde, making their first appearance in the World Cup knockout stages, started brightly and tested Argentina early through Ryan Mendes before the South American giants gradually asserted control.
The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Lionel Messi produced a moment of brilliance, controlling Lisandro Martinez's diagonal pass before firing into the roof of the net. The strike marked his seventh goal of the tournament, taking him to the top of the Golden Boot standings.
Argentina looked comfortable before halftime, but Cabo Verde returned with renewed intensity after the break. Their persistence paid off just before the hour mark when Mendes released Deroy Duarte, who finished confidently from a tight angle to score his country's first-ever FIFA World Cup knockout-stage goal and level the contest.
Despite creating several chances, Argentina were repeatedly denied by veteran goalkeeper Vozinha, whose outstanding saves from Messi kept the scores level and forced the match into extra time.
Argentina restored their advantage almost immediately after extra time began as Lisandro Martinez converted from close range following a corner in the 92nd minute. Yet Cabo Verde refused to back down, with Sidny Lopes Cabral producing a stunning curling effort in the 103rd minute from a tight angle to make it 2-2 once again.
The decisive moment came in the second half of extra time when Messi's corner was met by Romero, whose powerful header took a slight deflection off Diney Borges before finding the back of the net in the 111th minute.
Cabo Verde nearly forced penalties late on, but Emiliano Martinez produced a vital save to deny Lopes Cabral's powerful free-kick and secure Argentina's progress.
Argentina will now face Egypt in the Round of 16, while Cabo Verde exit the tournament after earning widespread praise for their debut World Cup campaign.