Heroic Vozinha keeps the dream alive
In Houston, Cape Verde only needed a draw to extend their remarkable World Cup run — having already held Spain to a scoreless draw and come from behind for a 2-2 result against Uruguay. Goalkeeper Vozinha rose to the occasion once again: he saved a header from Mohamed Kanno in first-half stoppage time, parried a shot from Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat in the 66th minute, and denied a strike from Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 92nd minute.
Cape Verde had their chances too
The island nation off Africa''s west coast didn''t just sit back. In the 50th minute, Kevin Pina fired just over the bar from distance, and in the 74th minute, a shot from Laros Duarte from the edge of the box was stopped by Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais. In the final seconds, Nuno da Costa had a chance to win it, but his effort from inside the box went wide left.
The smallest nation in the round of 32
The 0-0 draw meant Cape Verde — a nation of roughly half a million people — became the smallest country ever to reach the knockout stage of a World Cup. With Spain beating Uruguay at the same time, Cape Verde finished second in Group H and will face defending champions Argentina in Miami on July 3. Saudi Arabia finished bottom of the group and exit the tournament at the group stage.