The corner kick from the left side of goal sailed through the air as Diney Borges came clear on the other side and, in that moment, I really thought Cape Verde was going to do it.
The Blue Sharks, in their first World Cup, had played top-seeded Spain to a scoreless draw for more than 90 minutes. Now, Borges was going to score a goal to secure what surely would be the biggest upset victory in the history of the world’s biggest sporting event.
Borges leaped into the air as the pass fell perfectly to his head. He directed the ball to the ground, in the direction of the goal. Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón stopped the shot but bobbled it for an instant as Blue Sharks circled him and fans at Atlanta Stadium gasped.
Simon secured the ball. Spain managed to avoid a humiliating loss. But the Blue Sharks went on to earn a shocking draw.
When the final whistle blew, the thousands of Cape Verdean fans in the stadium celebrated as Spain’s supporters filed out in stunned silence. Incredibly, the small Western African nation with a modest soccer history had played the reigning European champions to a tie.
“This means everything for our country, especially,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said via an interpreter. “We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country and our team, and we have shown organization and braveness. This is proof of what our country is about, resilience and to trying to overcome hardships.”
The 67,640 spectators in the stadium witnessed the most exciting scoreless draw you’ll ever see. The tension and anticipation grew as it became clear that Spain wasn’t going to have an easy time scoring against the underdogs.
Spain’s supporters grew restless as La Roja patiently passed the ball around from outside the penalty box, looking for openings. Cape Verde fans cheered each time the Tubarões Azuis snuffed out potential chances for Spain.
The Blue Sharks couldn’t have done it without Vozinha, their 40-year-old goalkeeper. Time after time, Vozinha foiled crossing passes by the Spaniards. He turned away all seven of their shots on goal.
Vozinha’s 91st game for the national team was the best of his life. He was overcome with emotion on the field when it was over.
“I am very proud,” Vozinha said via an interpreter. “I am very happy not only for myself, but for all the players, all the Cape Verdeans. We worked very hard to be here. Today we were able to show our worth … against a very strong opponent.”
It was a bitter result for the Spaniards.
They were pretournament favorites to win their second World Cup title in their 13th consecutive appearance. They were playing an opponent that had 25-to-1 odds to win (implied probability of 4%). A draw was 12-to-1 (implied probability of 8%).
Those circumstances made it feel like a loss for Spain. It now faces pressure to win its remaining two group games to make it to the knockout round.
After the game Spanish media lobbed skeptical questions at coach Luis de la Fuente, who frequently reminded them of his team’s 30-game unbeaten streak.
“It is a disappointment, of course, when you don’t achieve the expected results,” de la Fuente said via an interpreter. “We wanted to have a victory. However, we know how difficult this game was going to be. We mentioned this before the match.
“It’s a team playing in very, very low block, defending deep. We also knew of our physical condition. We lacked legs.”
Those factors weren’t supposed to be much of a problem for La Rosa in this match. None of Cabo Verde’s players would have a chance of making Spain’s star-studded squad.
According to Transfermarkt, the market value of the Spanish players is about $600 million. For Cape Verde, it’s $18 million. The website put Vozinha’s value at just $58,000.
And yet, on this day, Cape Verde played Spain to a draw.
“We knew the team today is inferior in terms of quality, but they played really well,” de la Fuente said.
Cape Verde’s defensive posture flustered the Spaniards. The Blue Sharks didn’t create many scoring chances while taking just one shot on goal. They essentially sat back in a tight formation and waited for Spain to attack.
According to researcher Paul Carr, Cape Verde’s 26 touches in the attacking third of the field were the fewest for any World Cup team on record (since 1966). Vozinha led his team with 68 touches, the most by a keeper in a regulation World Cup game since 1998.
The strategy worked for the Blue Sharks.
“We can say that Spain had possession almost all the time, but controlling the match is not just (about) possession of the ball,” Bubista said. “We did it in a different way. Of course, we would have wanted to have more (chances) in attack, but the Spanish team is quite difficult, so we are quite happy with the tie.”
The same goes for the Cape Verdean supporters who were still celebrating outside of the stadium long after the match ended. It was a draw that meant everything.
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