Cape Verde faced its second World Cup match in Miami against Uruguay. After their draw with Spain, a team some 65 places higher in the world rankings, all eyes were on the Hard Rock Stadium. Could The Blue Sharks succeed again? Clearly, the answer is yes. Once again Cape Verde’s World Cup success meant they held Uruguay to a draw (2-2). This puts Cape Verde in a strong position to move forward to the knock-out rounds. To do that they need to maintain their form for their next match against Saudi Arabia. That match takes place on Saturday 27 June.
Right from the start of the match The Blue Sharks took on an attacking approach in the game. They were focussed on getting the ball up to the Uruguay end, putting their opponents under pressure. The first Cape Verde goal was scored by Kevin Pina from 29m out. This was the longest range goal of the tournament so far. Their second goal was scored by Helio Varela. Prior to the match football pundits had predicted Cape Verde to lose the match. That prediction was ignored by The Blue Sharks.
The starting line up for Cape Verde was as follows:
J. Vozinha
S. Moreira
R. Lopes
E. Diney
S. Cabral
K. Lenini
R. Mendes
T. Arcanjo
J. Monteiro
G. Rodrigues
G. Benchimol
The human story surrounding this game and the team’s time on the World Cup is about goal keeper Vozinha’s mother. Originally she was unable to travel to the USA because of the high cost of obtaining a visa. However, following Cape Verde’s match against Spain, the US government agreed to waive the costs of a visa. When Ana Candida Évora arrived at Miami International Airport she was greeted by Fifa officials. Happily she was able to attend the match, which delighted her 40 year old goal keeper son.
The Blue Sharks has shown character and class in abundance. The World Cup always has an underdog story and none more so than Cape Verde. This was another captivating match and the stuff of dreams for Cape Verde. We continue to hope that Cape Verde’s World Cup success continues in their next match against Saudi Arabia.
[22 June 2026]
