‍#广场预测世界杯赢40000U

Cape Verde remains unbeaten against three world champions for 90 minutes

Waking up, Cape Verde is once again making headlines! "Cape's foot" is truly extraordinary, nearly pulling off a miracle to topple Argentina—falling behind twice, stubbornly equalizing twice. This West African island nation, with a land area of just 4,033 square kilometers and a population of less than 550k, remained unbeaten in regular time (90 minutes) against three world champions: Spain, Uruguay, and Argentina, writing the most incredible "island fairy tale" in World Cup history.

In the first group match, facing Spain—ranked third in the world and unbeaten for three years as the tournament favorite—Cape Verde, making its debut and ranked 64th, used a tight defensive system to keep the "Matadors" at bay despite their relentless attacks. Spain fired 27 shots but could not get past 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who made 7 saves and was unsurprisingly named Man of the Match. In the 39th minute, Ferran Torres hit the crossbar from close range, and Oyarzabal's header was tipped over by Vozinha. In the second half, 18-year-old Yamal came on as a substitute for his World Cup debut, but shots from Llorente and Cucurella were all denied by Vozinha. The final 0-0 score gave Cape Verde its first ever World Cup point.

If the draw with Spain relied on defense, the match against Uruguay proved that Cape Verde can also score. In the second group match, facing two-time World Cup champions Uruguay—who boast stars like Valverde from Europe's top leagues—Cape Verde played a thrilling 2-2 draw. In the 16th minute, Kevin Pina smashed home a direct free kick, scoring the country's first ever World Cup goal. Uruguay then scored twice to take the lead, but in the 61st minute, Elio Varela capitalized on a defensive error by Uruguay to calmly poke home the equalizer. Two matches, two World Cup champion opponents, two points—Cape Verde showed the world the resilience of "small-nation football."

After advancing to the round of 32 as group runners-up with three draws, Cape Verde faced defending champions Argentina. The Round of 16 match was played in Miami, USA. In the 29th minute, Messi controlled a long pass from Lisandro and smashed the ball into the net for his 20th World Cup goal. But Cape Verde did not collapse. In the 59th minute, Deroy Duarte turned and shot from the right side of the box to make it 1-1—Cape Verde's first ever goal in a World Cup knockout stage. Later, Vozinha saved Messi's one-on-one chance and a free kick, forcing the game into extra time. When the 90-minute whistle blew, the score was 1-1. Cape Verde remained unbeaten in regular time against a third world champion.

Three 90-minute matches, three world champions, three unbeaten results. The three champions belong to different eras: Spain (2010 champion), Uruguay (1930/1950 champion), Argentina (2022 defending champion)—all with distinct styles: tiki-taka, traditional South American tough defense, and Messi-led technical play. Cape Verde neutralized them all with a single defensive strategy, making the achievement truly unparalleled in quality.

With the discipline of a 5-4-1 defensive block, the heroic saves of 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, and crucial goals at decisive moments, Cape Verde proved to the world that the charm of football never depends on the size of a country. As the Cape Verdeans say: "We may be small, but our hope is as vast as the ocean."