{"id":8251,"date":"2026-07-04T14:51:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T06:51:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moresourcing.com\/cape-verde-world-cup-ends\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T14:51:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T06:51:44","slug":"cape-verde-world-cup-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moresourcing.com\/en\/cape-verde-world-cup-ends\/","title":{"rendered":"Cape Verde’s historic World Cup ride ends after pushing Argentina to the brink : NPR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha (1) is scored on by Argentina’s Lisandro Martinez during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Argentina and Cape Verde in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, July 3, 2026.\n \n \n Lynne Sladky\/AP\n \n <\/b>\n hide caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n toggle caption<\/b><\/b>\n <\/div>\n\n \n \n Lynne Sladky\/AP\n \n <\/span>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. \u2014 All that Vozinha wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play.<\/p>

He got that \u2014 and so much more.<\/p>

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Cape Verde didn’t win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. The African team’s debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a soccer story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history.<\/p>

Cape Verde’s magical ride ended Friday in the Round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina \u2014 as most expected. Final score: Champions 3, Cinderellas 2, in extra time \u2014 as probably very few expected.<\/p>