By Obaloluwa Joshua, LAGOS
Cape Verde head coach Bubista has said his players can hold their heads high despite their elimination from the FIFA World Cup 2026 praising their historic campaign on the global stage.
The Blue Sharks’ remarkable journey came to an end after a dramatic 3-2 extra-time defeat to defending champions Argentina in Miami.
Argentina twice took the lead during an enthralling contest, but the resilient West Africans fought back on both occasions.
However, with just 10 minutes remaining in extra time, Lionel Messi’s corner was inadvertently turned into his own net by Diney Borges, sending La Albiceleste into the Round of 16.
Messi opened the scoring shortly after the first hydration break, delicately lifting the ball over the advancing Vozinha after expertly controlling a perfectly weighted pass from Lisandro Martínez.
Cape Verde responded in the 59th minute through Deroy Duarte, who finished confidently to restore parity.
Goalkeeper Vozinha produced a string of outstanding saves throughout the match, including a superb point-blank stop to deny Messi and force the contest into extra time.
Argentina regained the advantage just two minutes into the additional period when Lisandro Martínez pounced on a loose ball from a corner and fired an unstoppable effort beyond Vozinha at the near post.
But Cape Verde refused to give in. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral scored one of the goals of the tournament, curling a stunning strike into the top corner from the edge of the area to level the scores once again.
The decisive moment eventually arrived when Messi’s dangerous corner caused confusion in the Cape Verde defence, with Borges inadvertently diverting the ball into his own net to hand Argentina a hard-fought victory and a place in the Round of 16.
“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time… More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity,” Bubista was quoted by FIFA.com.
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