Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THIS WAS A World Cup game for the ages.
It ensures the spirit of Cape Verde and Pico Lopes will never die.
They were beaten 3-2 by Argentina in extra time here in Miami but the world champions will feel drained by the experience.
This Cape Verde team are like The Terminator. They always come back for more. Twice they fell behind and twice they got back level, and while it ended with heartache in extra time the way in which they took this World Cup by storm means they have left a mark beyond the pain and beauty of the game.
After the full-time whistle blew and Cape Verde were beaten, Pico Lopes stood tall. He was in the Argentina box as they piled forward for an equaliser but they ran out of time.
Some of his opponents dropped to their knees with the exhaustion. Pico shook their hands and congratulated them. Lisandro Martinez, one of Argentina’s goal scorers, was flat on his back.
Pico stood over him and put out a hand of congratulations, of respect.
Just as the first half of extra time was coming to a close, a familiar tune began to echo around the Miami Stadium. Sidny Cabral had levelled with one of the goals of the tournament, a curler from the left side of the box that found a home in the top corner and in World Cup lore.
Argentina fans made up 99% of the 64,478 supporters but they were quiet now. They were gripped by tension and anxiety and complete shock.
Cape Verde just wouldn’t give up.
They went ahead two minutes into extra time and as their fans rejoiced, Cape Verde did something better: they responded.
Cabral’s curler an astonishing moment in a game that laughed in the face of reason and opted to embrace chaos instead.
But the sound, the tune, the happiness was confined to four small pockets, totalling no more than 1,000.
Olé, olé, olé, olé, olé, olé.
You could only smile. The soundtrack of Cape Verde’s World Cup story is one familiar to so many of us hear in our dreams.
And one of us was at the heart of it all. Dubliner Lopes once again reinforced his status as a Cape Verde icon – they all are now – with a commanding display.
Lionel Messi scored and Argentina won but
Three hours before kick off fans in Argentina and Cape Verde jerseys walked side by side along the roads in Miami.
They were quickly drenched by the rain and their paths would soon diverge, although they were all heading out of the city to the stadium around 30 kilometres north.
This was the start of a long day, finishing with extra-time and bringing Cape Verde’s World Cup journey to an end.
But the story will live forever. Their success and the impact will be felt for generations. Generations that will see what is possible and feel the power within themselves to be able to achieve it.
This was Cape Verde’s Italia 90, a maiden bow on the world stage that allowed to make their mark in so many ways.
Vozinha became the most famous goalkeeper in the world after his heroics against Spain in Atlanta. That goalless draw with Spain was the spark that brought them to this point, and it took more Messi genius to undo them.
One of the most poignant moments from this World Cup also happened after that game in Atlanta. Pico’s embrace with Ray Houghton had a lovely symmetry to it given his exploits for the Republic of Ireland in Giants Stadium against Italy at USA 94.
Similarly, the two men were representing the country from which their fathers hailed and did so with a pride that is clear.
It’s also something that shouldn’t be weaponised.
Cape Verde’s main battle here in Miami was with Messi and the strange ecosystem which has been cultivated around him to meet his every need.
He has turned walking into his own art form, a prelude to an expression of football genius. Take the first goal. Watch it as many times as you like and the wonder of it will never fade.
Lisandro Martinez’s lofted left-foot ball from just inside his own half was inviting and nothing more. The pace was ideal and the trajectory, too, but it still required something more.
Messi knew what was needed.
He had finished walking, meandering out near the right touchline for so much of the first half, and now sensed opportunity off the shoulder off left-side centre back Diney Borges. In truth, he didn’t really stray into the spaces around Pico’s side other than one scuffed shot across goal in the early stages.
Everything about this goal was clean and precise.
Messi’s touch – oh, my, the touch – out of the sky with the outside of his left foot was delicate and deadly. It was otherworldly, a ball plucked from the heavens and graced by true greatness.
The judgment and the patience to wait for it to drop meant he could use the turf as an additional cushion, once more finding ways to use the pitch as he sees fit. He trapped it stone dead and with that same left foot Messi arrowed the ball into the roof of the net.
The Argentina fans instantly started to bow and chant his name. But their team did not assert complete control after making the break through on 29 minutes and at half-time Pico and Messi shared some words leaving the pitch. The latter wore a grimace and the Dubliner was beaming.
Maybe he felt the change in momentum coming in the second half.
One of the defining aspects of Cape Verde’s three group game was their ability to finish strongly. They didn’t wait around here and straight after the re-start they were the ones looking most comfortable.
Argentina’s midfield looked ponderous, Alexis Mac Allister and Enzo Fernandez seemed content to try and drift through the remainder of the game. Cape Verde’s equaliser perfectly illustrated the differences in approach.
Facundo Medina played an aimless long ball, Pico’s chest control and composure to turn posession into attack was swift, laying a pass to Steven Moreira who in turn fed Ryan Mendes down the right.
The captain played a nutmeg on Medina for Duarte to run onto and he then took a quick touch to set himself and with his next being a drilled shot through the legs of Lisandro Martinez and beyond goalkeeper Emi Martinez.
The Cape Verde bench emptied and Pico sprinted to follow his teammates in delirious celebration of another milestone: their first knockout goal in a World Cup.
There were 59 minutes on the clock and just moments later Messi showed his fallibility after a give and go on the edge of the box led to him firing a right-footed shot from 12 yards straight at Vozinha.
Both sides made changes and the tension was agonising. In a stadium that was filled with 99% Argentinian fans they were ready to celebrate a certain winner on 81 minutes with Enzo Fernandez lurking at the back post for a tap in from Nahuel Molina’s cross.
The man in the way was Pico Lopes, straining to clear and then roaring with delight when he saw the ball go wide of the post.
This was a triumph of Cape Verde’s quality and spirit, the tactical acumen of their boss, Bubista, and also highlighting the struggles Argentina will face after this against Egypt in the last 16 and, possibly, beyond.
The mayhem of extra time was perhaps summed up by Borges turning into his own from a corner as he rose to challenge Cristian Romero.
It was the end of this World Cup journey but it does not feel like the end for Cape Verde.
Written by David Sneyd and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say