Anyone who thought that there would be small countries in this World Cup was definitely disappointed on Sunday night. In a thrilling match, World Cup debutant Cape Verde, number 63 in the world rankings, cleverly held two-time world champion Uruguay (number 16) to a 2-2 draw. After the 0-0 against Spain, it is already the second point that the Cape Verdeans have won this World Cup. Rotterdam-born Sidny Lopes Cabral, Jamiro Monteiro and Garry Rodrigues started in the starting line-up; The Rotterdam brothers Laros and Deroy Duarte also received playing time.
Before the tournament, Europeans in particular spoke scornfully about expanding the tournament to 48 countries. Last week, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said it would lead to too many “boring matches”. This weekend definitively proved him wrong: first there was Curaçao’s exciting draw against Ecuador on Saturday night, followed by one of the most exciting matches of the World Cup so far in Miami on Sunday.
In a stuffy Miami Stadium, where Uruguay fans were in the majority in the stands, Cape Verde had little say in the first half. They surprisingly took the lead via a free kick from Kevin Lenini from about thirty meters away. But Uruguay quickly equalized and dictated the game. The 2-1, deep into injury time of the first half, seemed to put an end to the Cape Verdean illusions.
But this Uruguay is no longer the team that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010 (and was eliminated by the Dutch team) and the quarter-finals in 2018 (in which France was too strong). It does not have top strikers like Luis Suarez, who was in the stands on Sunday, or Diego Forlan. It does not have Diego Godin at the back, who at his peak was one of the best defenders in the world. The only player who was there in 2010 and now, goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, made a mistake at 2-2 on Sunday by coming out too early and missing the ball, after which Hélio Varela controlled the ball in the air and, without the ball touching the field, shot into an empty goal.
Uruguay then had the best chances, including with a shot from attacker Agustin Canobbio, which only went to goalkeeper Vozinha. Defender Steven Moreira heroically threw himself for another shot moments later. But Cape Verde also remained dangerous with quick counters and had a great chance to take the lead just before the end; it even had more shots than Uruguay, although they often came from harmless places, often outside the penalty area.
Due to the draw, it remains extremely exciting in group H. Thanks to a 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, Spain is now the leader. Behind them are Uruguay and Cape Verde with two points each, followed by the still scoreless Arabs. The decision will be made on Friday when Cape Verde plays against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay must avoid the second elimination in a row in the group stage of the World Cup against Spain.
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2026 FIFA World Cup
Cape Verde, with many Rotterdammers in the starting line-up, takes second point at the World Cup
