Cape Verde once again punched above their weight as they held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling World Cup group game on Sunday.
Cape Verde continued to surprise at the World Cup after holding European champions Spain to a goalless draw in their opener, and they came close to producing another shock result against Uruguay in the intense heat of Miami.
The packed stadium erupted in celebration in the 21st minute when Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal with a brilliant long-range free kick, giving the African side the lead.
Uruguay responded strongly before half-time. Maxi Araujo equalised in the 44th minute, and just six minutes later Agustin Canobbio put the South Americans ahead, giving them a 2-1 lead at the break.
However, Cape Verde refused to give up. Just after the hour mark, substitute Helio Varela took advantage of a defensive mistake and calmly scored to make it 2-2.
Both teams pushed hard for a winner in an exciting final half-hour, creating chances at either end. But neither side could find the decisive goal and it was the thousands of Cape Verde supporters in the stadium who celebrated loudly at the final whistle as their team earned a second point at the tournament.
The draw leaves both Cape Verde and Uruguay two points behind group leaders Spain. Cape Verde’s dream of reaching the Round of 32 remains very much alive ahead of their final group match against Saudi Arabia.
For two-time world champions Uruguay, qualification is still not guaranteed as they prepare to face Spain in their final group game.
Uruguay began the match hoping to bounce back from their 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia, but they quickly found themselves in a tough battle against a determined Cape Verde side.
Federico Valverde had Uruguay’s best early chance but fired wide. Moments later, Cape Verde struck. Rodrigo Bentancur fouled Telmo Arcanjo during a midfield run and Pina curled the resulting free kick through a gap in the wall and beyond goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Araujo, who had scored a late equaliser against Saudi Arabia, came to Uruguay’s rescue again in the 44th minute. He headed home from close range after Manuel Ugarte’s header bounced back off the post.
The goal was the first conceded at the tournament by 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who had earned Player of the Match honours against Spain.
Uruguay then took the lead before half-time when Araujo headed Ugarte’s free kick into the path of Canobbio, who finished confidently.
As the match wore on, the heat and physical effort seemed to be affecting Cape Verde. Coach Bubista made a couple of substitutions in the 58th minute and one of them quickly paid off.
Three minutes later, Varela intercepted a poor cross-field pass from Mathias Olivera, knocked the ball past the advancing Muslera and rolled it into the empty net to level the score.
The game became wide open in the closing stages as both teams searched for a winner. Uruguay came closest in the final minute when Canobbio found himself through on goal, but he blasted his shot over the crossbar, leaving the teams to share the points.
