Everything is still very open in group H: the archipelago national team is still unbeaten after two matches and has scored the first two historic goals at the World Cup. Celeste did badly and will now play for the qualification against Spain
Call it a fairy tale, or a surprise. But it’s not a meteor: after Spain, Cape Verde also nails Uruguay to a draw and is close to a sensational qualification. For the magnificent debutants, who this time played football as well as defending themselves, a draw with Saudi Arabia could be enough to move forward, because on the other pitch Loco Bielsa will have to stop the European champions. And then in this World Cup even 3 points risk being enough to deserve a pass to the round of 32 among the best third-placed teams. Things are going badly instead, in the game of mirrors, for Uruguay who is grayer than Celeste: they disappointed on their debut, they performed even worse in the potential revival match.
COURAGE
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To destabilize a compact and low defence, Bielsa had prepared an aggressive game based on counter-pressing: once they lost the ball, Uruguay immediately tried to recover it and then headed straight for the goal. But Cape Verde showed up in Miami with personality and a better propensity to dribble compared to the historic 0-0 draw with Spain. By carefully protecting the fort, the national team coached by Bubista harnessed the opponent’s ideas and threatened him several times on the counterattack. Apart from Federico Valverde, who tried three times for the solution from distance, no Uruguay player managed to free himself from a shot for 41 minutes. Cape Verde, on the other hand, scored its first goal ever in a World Cup with a long-range free kick kicked by Kevin Pina, a Roberto Carlos-style winger, which passed through the wall and became hostile to the newly forty-year-old Muslera.
THE CRACK
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Only a combination of fate helped the stronger team recover, right at the end of the first half. The tactical key lies in the muscle injury of Arcanjo, a midfielder who plays in the Portuguese Liga with Tondela. The Norwegian referee Eskas did not interrupt the match, Valverde took advantage of this to put in a cross that Sidny Cabral involuntarily hit his own post. As luck would have it, the ball ended up unprotected by Araujo, who was quick to repeat the goal he scored on his debut against Arabia. Luis Suarez, Uruguayan champion for Messi’s Inter Miami, rejoiced in the stands. And it was a strong turning point because Bubista, recklessly, delayed the substitution of Arcanjo and Uruguay guessed an excellent combination between Ugarte, Araujo and Canobbio in the last minute of injury time. This time the other 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, had to give up: the result was overturned and Bielsa was rewarded by the choice to promote the Fluminense winger, author of the 2-1, in place of the disappointing Darwin Nunez seen in the first match. Cape Verde complained about the poor sportsmanship of the Uruguayans. But FIFA directives indicate the desire to neutralize what Capello called fainting fouls. Therefore it is naive to expect favors from the team that continues to play instead of throwing the ball out.
REVOLVED
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The change was delayed at the start of the second half, with the introduction of Deroy Duarte. However, the momentum of the match seemed to have taken the South American route, because Uruguay was now in control. It took an unforgivable foolishness from Mathias Olivera, a Napoli full-back who plays as a pure defender in the national team, to restore parity: Helio Varela, another substitute, pounced on the senseless central pass and, anticipating the reckless Muslera, collected the 2-2 draw. Rightly so, like Araujo’s subsequent offside which saved national hero Vozinha from making a fool of himself under the eyes of his mother who had just arrived in the USA. The thrills of the last moment – a high free kick from Valverde, a shot from Darwin Nunez, a lopsided counterattack from Canobbio, two counterattacks from Da Costa – did not change the verdict: Cape Verde does not lose. And dream. Uruguay, on the other hand, fears returning home immediately.
uruguay-cape verde, live
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Second day in group H, which in the late afternoon saw Spain dominate Saudi Arabia. Loco Bielsa’s Uruguay challenges the revelation Cape Verde at midnight, who in the match of their historic debut at a World Cup snatched a 0-0 draw from De la Fuente’s national team. For both, success is a must to aim for the next round. Cape Verde is led by goalkeeper Vozinha, who has become an icon. Bielsa changes something compared to his debut: Nunez goes to the bench, Vinas as center forward with Maxi Araujo and Canobbio at his sides, while De la Cruz will take Ugarte’s place and Sanabria will take Vina’s place. Both Ronald Araujo and De Arrascaeta are still absent, both struggling with muscle injuries.
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