Cape Verde’s first World Cup ended in Miami Gardens, Fla., with the Blue Sharks pushing defending champion Argentina deep into extra time before falling 3-2 in the round of 32.
The African team did not win a match in the tournament, but it still produced one of the competition’s most unexpected runs. Cape Verde opened with a scoreless draw against Spain, then added two more dramatic draws to reach the knockout round.
Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper, was central to the story. He had arrived at the World Cup hoping his mother would be able to see him play, and the effort to get her to the U.S. became part of Cape Verde’s wider tournament story.
Against Argentina, Vozinha repeatedly kept Cape Verde alive. Lionel Messi had a goal and an assist from a corner kick, but Argentina needed a winner midway through the second half of extra time to avoid a major upset.
Vozinha made several late saves against Messi, including a point-blank stop in the 63rd minute and a touch on a curling free kick in the 73rd. He also handled a low free kick in injury time and pushed away another Messi effort late in the first 15-minute period of extra time.
Cape Verde, the smallest nation by land mass to qualify for the World Cup and a country with about 1% of Argentina’s population, earned $11m from FIFA for reaching this stage.
The money was only part of the return. Cape Verde left the tournament without a win, but the Blue Sharks made themselves known on the World Cup stage by taking Spain to a draw, reaching the round of 32 and forcing Argentina to the brink.