As the final whistle rang out around the Atlanta Stadium, the cameras cut to Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.
Tears streamed down the 40-year-old’s face as the magnitude of what he had just achieved was starting to sink in, after his side’s 0-0 draw with World Cup favourites Spain.
The stands erupted and thousands of Cape Verde supporters, who had carried their team with relentless noise for 90 minutes, celebrated together – hugging, dancing, and relishing the result.
On the pitch, players raced towards each other in complete joy. Even the neutrals had been swept up in the occasion – by full-time, many were celebrating too.
Against European champions Spain, veteran goalkeeper Vozinha had delivered the performance of his life to earn a heroic clean sheet and the most memorable result in his country’s history.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents,” said Vozinha after being awarded player of the match. “Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life.
“And also because of my mum. She didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage on time. I would like her to be here.”
He added: “Our best weapon is our unity. Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength.
“Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.”
...Greatest feeling ever’: Cape Verdeans Tell BBC of Joy At Holding Spain To Draw
The streets of Cape Verde’s capital, Praia, shook to the deafening sounds of vuvuzelas, chants and car horns, after the Blue Sharks held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup opener.
Though the sides shared the points, for many Cape Verdeans it felt more like a win.
“It was an emotional moment,” said Isa Conceição, a supporter who was watching the match from a packed fan zone.
She, like thousands of other attendees, was dressed in a blue national team jersey to show pride in her country’s World Cup exploits. Much of the island nation erupted in wild celebrations at the final whistle.
“Being a small country and being able to achieve such a good result against Spain, a football powerhouse, is the greatest feeling ever,” she told the BBC.
Men, women, and children were all dancing to the rhythm of the official World Cup song released by the Cape Verdean Football Federation.
As the beats of “nos óra dja txiga” played through the fan zone, supporters chanted along in excitement – some waving the national flag. The word is Cape Verdean Creole for “our time has come.”
It seemed a fitting phrase after the small country of about half a million people edged continental giants, Cameroon, to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in history.
The squad came into the tournament as the underdogs, playing in group H against two former World Cup winning teams – Spain and Uruguay.
To France-based visitor Pauline, Cape Verde’s performance on Monday could be attributed to the fact that they “played with their hearts.”
“That’s all that matters,” she said.
“I thought Spain was going to win the match, but the energy, the speed of Cape Verde was just amazing,” added a Congolese supporter who was also visiting the islands for the first time.
Many other foreigners were rooting for Cape Verde, the archipelago off the coast of West Africa whose idyllic beaches and landscapes attract about a million tourists every year.
Across several neighbourhoods, the country’s flags were hoisted on windows, balconies, and even on rooftops. Owners of several vehicles plying the streets rejoiced with symbolic honks and screams, most of them either waving the flag or hanging samples by their car windows.
The national team’s defensive campaign against a football behemoth such as Spain, raised the hopes of citizens that the squad may even make it beyond the group stage.
They will play Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in their next group fixtures which will determine their fate.
But even if they fail to go past the initial round, many told the BBC they will remain proud of the players’ contribution to lifting the country’s image.
BBC
