The story of the World Cup has taken place with Cabo Verde advancing to the Round of 32 with a scoreless draw against Saudi Arabia.
The tiny African island nation with a population of a little more than half a million people also drew against Spain and Uruguay to finish second in Group H and book a date with reigning champions Argentina in the knockouts.
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The winner of that contest will meet the winner of the Socceroos’ Round of 32 match in the final 16.
Cabo Verde sparked wild scenes when they qualified for their first ever World Cup, but the jubilation reached new heights after the final whistle in Houston.
The players immediately gathered around a phone to watch the end of Spain’s 1-0 victory against Uruguay.
Once the result was sealed, the stadium erupted in a sea of joy as Cabo Verde became the first World Cup debutant to make it out of their group since Slovakia did so in 2010.
The players of the third-smallest team in World Cup history by population were in tears afterwards, as were some of their fans.
The Cabo Verdean Football Association released a song called ‘Nôs Óra Dja Txiga’ – which roughly translates to ‘Our Time Has Arrived’.
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They could not have predicted how fitting the team’s anthem would become.
It will surely be blasted on repeat by their fans the world over in the coming days.
With history beckoning, Cape Verde coach Pedro Brito, affectionately known as ‘Bubista’, told reporters, “everyone is entitled to dream and nothing is impossible.”
His words were echoed by supporters in the stands as one woman, her face painted with a flag of the archipelago, held a sign that read: “Small Islands, Big Dreams.”
Bubista changed half his starting side, some of it enforced, for the all-important final group game but retained his hero goalkeeper Vozinha.
The 40-year-old stopper single-handedly kept Cabbo Verde in it as they held out for a famous point against European champions Spain in their first-ever World Cup match.
He became a social media sensation as a result with his Instagram follower count nearing 17 million shortly after the final whistle.
Cabo Verde, which is off the west coast of Africa, claimed a brave 2-2 draw with two-time former champions Uruguay.
That gave them a scarcely believable shot at the last 32 coming into the encounter against Saudi Arabia, who themselves were still alive.
Cabo Verde had slightly the better of the first half in Houston against a Saudi side who drew 1-1 with Uruguay before being thrashed 4-0 by Spain.
The Saudis suffered a blow in the 33rd minute when experienced defender Hassan al-Tambakti was stretchered off injured.
Spain took the lead towards the end of the first half in Mexico, the news greeted by cheers by Cabo Verde fans in Houston.
Willy Semedo fired not too far wide of the Saudi post but neither side seriously threatened in a tense first half.
At that point Cape Verde were going through at Uruguay’s expense. Three minutes after the break Jamiro Monteiro had a major chance from close range but his finish was weak, then Kevin Pina had an effort from distance that whistled just off target.
The tension went up a notch as they entered the dying minutes, but Saudi Arabia were strangely lacking in invention even though they were chasing the game.
In the 75th minute goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais kept them in it with a vital stop from Laros Duarte.
A point was enough for Cape Verde, but if anything, they were the more likely to score as the match ticked into the dying minutes.
“From the beginning, we came here to compete at the highest level,” Bubista said.
“That has always been our mentality. We respect all our opponents and we know their qualities, but we are here with the clear objective of fighting for qualification.”
Those words echo his comments before the tournament began.
“We want to make an impact on the tournament for our people,” Bubsita said.
“We want to show everyone watching that yes, we’re a small country, but we can play against the big teams.
“We know it’s hard but we want to show that nothing is impossible.”
Cabo Verde have certainly done that.