After the brutal 120-minute battle between Argentina and Cape Verde, which almost took defending champions to the brink of World Cup elimination, Lionel Messi shook hands with Vozinha.
The 40-year-old goalkeeper, already one of the biggest heroes of the tournament with epic saves after epic saves, later revealed what Messi told him during the handshake.
“He said, ‘You are a great goalkeeper. You people should be proud of you’.”
Several Cape Verde players were seen taking pictures with Messi in the dressing room as well — less than an hour after kicking him hard to try and stop the magician from weaving his magic.
Messi, by his standards, had a quiet game. His first goal was sublime, a mix of exquisite control and crisp finish in tight space, after a delightful long ball from Lisandro Martinez.
But the 39-year-old, just like the rest of his teammates, was stunned by the stirring fightback from Cape Verde, who were defending as though they were fighting for their lives and attacking the Argentine backline with ruthless precision.
Having fought back twice after Argentine goals, the South Americans eventually prevailed 3-2, barely by the skin of their teeth, to reach the last 16.
But it was Cape Verde which has become the Cinderella Story of the 2026 World Cup.
A nation of less than 600,000 people, Cape Verde went toe-to-toe with Argentina, Spain and Uruguay, teams that share six World Cup titles between them.
They were resolute in their defence against Spain in the opening game, which saw Vozinha make seven saves.
In their next game, Cape Verde showed their attacking flair in a 2-2 draw with Uruguay before booking a berth in the knockout rounds with a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia.
Yet, nobody expected them to put up a fight against Argentina in the round of 16.
The three-time world champions have cruised through the group stages with comprehensive wins over Algeria, Austria and Jordan as Messi delivered one age-defying performance after another.
But Cape Verde refused to follow the script even after Argentina went ahead with a goal from Messi.
The World Cup debutants overpowered Argentina, the world’s top-ranked team, in the midfield, winning the majority of 50-50 balls, and running at the Argentines’ defence with vigour.
And their second goal from Sidny Lopes Cabral, the Netherlands-born full-back, is now a contender for goal of the tournament.
Cutting in from the right, the 26-year-old sent a powerful right-foot shot from the edge of the box which flew and then dipped, beating the diving Emiliano Martinez, one of the world’s best goalkeepers, in the far post.
An own goal in the 111th minute may have ended their fairytale runs in the World Cup, but what they won was far bigger than any victory on the field.
As Cape Verde players slowly made their way to the dressing rooms after acknowledging their supporters, they received a standing ovation from the Argentina fans.
Arguably the most passionate football nation in the world, Argentina fans are not exactly known for their generosity when it comes to acknowledging an opponent.
But on Friday night, the army of blue and whites did more than that — they also joined Cape Verde fans and sang for their players long after the end of the intense battle of the tournament.
On Sunday, Cape Verde players received a heroes’ welcome from thousands of fans after their return to the archipelago nation off West Africa.
Incredibly, they arrived home on the same day the nation was celebrating its 51st independence anniversary.
Each member was treated like a hero, but it was Vozinha who drew the biggest cheers.
For someone who could not even raise the money for his mother’s US visa to watch his World Cup debut, Vozinha was defiant throughout the tournament, making eight saves against Argentina, including a brilliant reflex save to deny Messi in a one-on-one situation.
The unassuming goalie is now the face of Cape Verde’s dream run with his Instagram followers’ number jumping from 50,000 to 20 million in the course of the tournament.
But this was not just about Vozinha alone. Having beaten Cameron for a place in the World Cup, the African team gave a masterclass in maintaining a resolute defensive shape while showing their flair in transition.
But more than anything else, it was their refusal to give up the fight against mighty opponents which would inspire every underdog to script their own ‘David vs Goliath’ World Cup tales in future.
Source: Khaleej Times