Spain failed to find a way past inspired Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha as the 40-year-old secured a stunning 0-0 draw for the FIFA World Cup debutants and was reduced to tears at his heroics.
La Roja rolled into Atlanta as one of the pre-tournament favourites, with coach Luis de la Fuente boasting that he has the best squad in the competition.
Yet a Spain side featuring a Ballon d’Or winner in Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, fresh from a second consecutive Champions League victory with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and packed with many of the squad that won Euro 2024, could not breach Cape Verde’s dogged defence.
Even the introduction of Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal on his return from injury in the second half did not break the deadlock as Vozinha marshalled his backline to a clean sheet they will never forget.
“Very proud. For me, it is an honour for me to represent my country,” Vozinha told reporters. “We are from a small country. Our qualification was very difficult in a group with Cameroon and Libya, but we knew if we followed the plan of the coach, we had a great chance to qualify.
“The dream came true. We competed against Spain, one of the best teams in the world. We are very happy and proud of all the players and people of Cape Verde.”
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Vozinha was only really tested in a short spell of Spanish pressure just before half-time.
He turned over Mikel Oyarzabal’s looping header and got down well to Ferran Torres’ low shot before producing his best stop at full stretch from an Aymeric Laporte header.
His tears at full-time were provoked not only by the size of Cape Verde’s achievement, but also by the fact that he was not able to share the moment with his mother and grandparents.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here, they died a few years before, and they did everything for me and my life,” he added.
“Also my mum she didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. The money for the visa, we didn’t manage (to do) on time and I would like her to be here.
“But I am very happy and also happy for all the Cape Verdean people.”
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Vozinha’s nomadic career has taken him from his homeland to Angola, Moldova, Cyprus and Slovakia before his latest move to Portugal.
And he now has a legion of new fans. In just a few hours, his Instagram account ballooned from a mere 50,000 followers to two million.
Cape Verde coach Bubista paid tribute to one of his most experienced players, who, on his 89th cap, finally reached the biggest stage in world football.
“He was overcome with emotion. He has a lot of experience and has given so much to get to this stage. They were tears of resilience,” said Bubista.
“He has spent many years with us. I normally do not like to comment on individuals, but he had a great performance. He was the best player on the pitch but I think we were defensively very strong and he is there to help the team.”
