Cabo Verde continued their remarkable FIFA World Cup journey on Sunday as they battled to an entertaining 2-2 draw with Uruguay at Miami Stadium, scoring their first-ever World Cup goal and earning a second valuable point in Group H.
Both sides entered the match searching for their first victory of the tournament. Uruguay had opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, while Cabo Verde impressed in a goalless stalemate against Spain. The result leaves both teams still in contention heading into the final round of group fixtures.
Uruguay created the first clear opening in the 15th minute when Federico Valverde found space in the box, but the Real Madrid midfielder dragged his effort wide of the target.
The breakthrough arrived six minutes later and it was a historic moment for Cabo Verde. Kevin Pina stepped up to a free kick from 25 yards and unleashed a powerful strike beyond Fernando Muslera. The Uruguay goalkeeper may have felt let down by a wall that split apart, but nothing should take away from the quality of the finish as Cabo Verde celebrated their first goal at a FIFA World Cup.
Uruguay struggled to find their rhythm for much of the first half. Maxi Araujo wasted a half chance in the 41st minute when he headed over from close range. However, Marcelo Bielsa’s side found an equaliser just before the interval.
In the 44th minute, Sidny Lopes Cabral attempted to clear a dangerous ball but headed against his own post. The rebound fell kindly for Araujo, who reacted quickest and dived in to head home his second goal of the tournament.
Deep into first-half stoppage time, Uruguay found the breakthrough to take a 2-1 lead. The timing could hardly have been better. The board showed five added minutes, but play had already stretched a minute beyond that when Uruguay refused to let up.
Maximiliano Araujo was the architect, whipping in a superb cross from the left. Agustin Canobbio attacked it at the near post and diverted the ball past goalkeeper Vozinha. The contact may have come off his shin rather than the boot, but the finish was decisive and clinical.
Uruguay emerged with greater urgency after halftime and thought they had regained control. Yet Cabo Verde refused to back down and stunned their opponents again in the 61st minute.
Substitute Helio Varela had only been on the pitch moments when he capitalised on a defensive mix-up between Mathias Olivera and Muslera. Olivera’s attempted clearance went wrong, Muslera found himself badly out of position, and Varela calmly took a touch before firing into the empty net for his first international goal.
The African side nearly completed the turnaround two minutes later when Jamiro Monteiro unleashed a long-range effort that flashed inches over the crossbar.
Uruguay continued to push forward and briefly thought they had scored again through Araujo, but the assistant referee’s flag denied them. Despite the attacking intent from both teams, an astonishing statistic emerged as all four shots on target in the match had resulted in goals, with neither goalkeeper making a save.
As the game entered its closing stages, Uruguay searched desperately for a winner. In the 86th minute, Brian Rodriguez looked destined to score until a heroic block, led by Ryan Mendes and his teammates, kept the ball out.
Three minutes later, Nicolas De La Cruz won a free kick on the edge of the area, but Valverde blazed his effort over the bar.
The closest Uruguay came to snatching victory arrived in stoppage time. Darwin Nunez burst down the flank and drilled a dangerous cross through the six yard box, but Valverde could not stretch far enough to make contact. Moments later, Agustin Canobbio raced clear after excellent work from Nunez, only to fire over under pressure from Pico Lopes.
Cabo Verde almost produced a dramatic winner of their own deep into added time, but Valverde tracked back brilliantly to deny Nuno Da Costa with a perfectly timed challenge.
At full time, both teams had to settle for a point after one of the most exciting matches of the tournament so far. Cabo Verde’s dream World Cup debut continues after following up their draw against Spain with another impressive result against a traditional football powerhouse.
The island nation entered the match as underdogs, but they once again showed courage, organisation and belief on the biggest stage. Uruguay, meanwhile, remain without a win in the tournament and face increasing pressure heading into their final group game.
Before kickoff, Uruguay had been unbeaten in five previous World Cup matches against African opposition, recording three wins and two draws against Ghana, Senegal, South Africa and Egypt. Cabo Verde became the fifth African nation they have faced at the tournament and the first to score twice against them in a World Cup match.
