At least one Cinderella story continues beyond the World Cup’s group stage. Cape Verde secured a spot in the knockout round of 32 teams on a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, and Spain’s 1-0 win against Uruguay on June 26.
The debutant team representing an island nation of around half a million people remains undefeated. Their run began by upsetting Spain—the current European champions and the second-best team of the tournament according to FIFA’s power rankings—to secure a 0–0 draw. Their next match was against Uruguay, during which the Blue Sharks scored their first-ever World Cup goals on their way to a 2–2 draw.
The third match against Saudi Arabia in Houston required yet another draw or outright victory, so long as Spain could beat Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico. But the debutants had their chances to get a goal on the board, putting 15 shots on the Saudi net and forcing goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais to make two saves.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, needed the win to stay alive, and their push to the net turned into a physical one. The Green Falcons earned 16 fouls, including three yellow cards, in the 90-minute match.
At the same time, Uruguay also appeared to have trouble keeping a clean game against Spain. Referees dispensed 14 fouls against them, including three yellow cards and one red card five minutes into the second-half stoppage time. That red card meant that Uruguay had to spend their final minutes of World Cup play with only 10 players to Spain’s 11.
The Rojas found the back of the net the one and only time 42 minutes into the game, just before half-time. They held Uruguay off for the rest of the nearly 50 minutes of play.
Uruguay’s loss follows draws with Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, and solidifies a second straight World Cup appearance in which they failed to advance beyond the preliminary group stage.
Both of these games were played at nearly the same time. Cape Verde reached full-time first and waited in anticipation to see if Spain’s victory secured their survival.
Cape Verde is now the smallest nation to advance to the knockout round. However, their first game will be against Lionel Messi and the defending World Cup champions, Argentina. That game will be held in Miami at 6 p.m. on July 3.
