MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Cape Verde coach Bubista praised the “heart, bravery and character” of his team after their World Cup journey was ended in heartbreaking fashion by Argentina.
The reigning world champions needed extra time to eventually win 3-2 as they were pushed to the brink of possibly the biggest World Cup upset ever.
– How Messi, Argentina saved themselves from humiliation of biggest upset in World Cup history
– Messi nets in 8th straight to take Golden Boot lead
– Messi: Argentina have ‘many’ things to correct
Cape Verde, the smallest country to qualify for the knockout rounds in the history of the tournament, twice found equalisers before finally succumbing to Argentina’s 111th-minute winner.
“I don’t think any other team could have scored two goals against Argentina,” said Bubista.
“It shows the character of our team and how skilled they are. We did our best and we did it with bravery. I’m so proud of what my players did.
“Being able to equalise twice shows how resilient our team is. I’m very proud of what we did throughout the tournament.
“I can only thank the team for their effort and showing so much heart.”
Their performance earned plaudits, too, from the World Cup holders.
“I have to give credit to our opponents,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “The truth is, when people say there’s no such thing as an easy opponent, today [Cape Verde] proved they’re a great team.”
Defeat ends what has been a wonderful tournament for Cape Verde.
Goalkeeper Vozinha become an overnight sensation after the 40-year-old helped earned an unlikely 0-0 draw against European champions Spain in their opening group game.
“We have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world,” Vozinha said in Portuguese. “Today, we fought on an equal footing against Argentina.”
The African side scored the first World Cup goals in their history in the 2-2 draw with Uruguay before coming within touching distance of a shock for the ages against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
“This is the first time we are here and we’ve done really well,” said Bubista.
“We may be a small country but we can play against the best teams. We want to be better and we want to evolve so we have more opportunities to face up to the big dogs with a better chance of winning.
“The players have to be proud for their performance throughout the tournament and representing our country.”
