05/07/2026

theSun on Sunday JULY 5, 2026

2026 WORLD CUP

SPORTS 13

Blue Sharks celebrate heroic defeat

APPLAUSE erupted, drums began to beat and car horns honked: Cape Verde’s narrow loss to Argentina was cause for celebra tion early yesterday in Praia as the Blue Sharks’ World Cup dream run came to a sad but brilliant end. The African archipelago of just over 500,000 people progressed to the knockout stages in their first ever World Cup after drawing with European champions Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in the group stage.

the game to an extra 30 minutes. However an own goal from Diney Borges under pressure from Argentina’s Cristian Romero in the 111th minute settled the match, with Argentina moving on to face Egypt. Cape Verde’s wild success against the world champions and the match’s down-to-the-wire nature made fans feel like they were witnessing some thing special. “It felt like watching a World Cup final”, said Armando Lopes, a diplomat. “Who would have ever imagined that Cape Verde would push Argentina to extra-time in a World Cup match?” Ahead of the game Cape Verde coach Bubista had said that “we are calm because we earned our place here on merit and there is nothing to fear or worry too much about”. “We know the importance of the match ahead. “It is the match of our lives, but we are going to enjoy it and give our best.” – AFP the character of our team and how skilled our team is. They did it with bravery and never did we lose our identity.” Throughout the tournament, Bubista insisted Cape Verde wanted to represent more than just their football team, using the World Cup to showcase the spirit and resil ience of the Atlantic island nation. “More so than just playing, this was about showing the world our identity,” he said. “Ours was a team that throughout the entire tournament wanted to play and wanted to play against the best teams in the world. “We played fairly and we stayed on a level playing field with our opponents. “I think everyone should thank the players for their tournament because they showed what our small country is about.” Although Cape Verde’s dream ended in the last 32, their memorable debut included draws against Spain and Uruguay and a fear less performance against Argentina that established them as one of the breakout teams of the 2026 World Cup. – Reuterers/Agencies Asked whether the responsibility of being favourites weighed on Argentina, Scaloni rejected the suggestion. “No. The best thing about this team is that it just keeps going, keeps going, keeps going. The boys keep attacking with their heart on their boots,” he said. “I think we rose to the occasion. The pitch was strange; the ball wouldn’t run as we are used to, not ideal at all.” For Scaloni, the match was also a neat summary of Argentina’s footballing condi tion. “What does it mean to be Argentine? To suffer,” he said. “Cape Verde gave 200%, and in football that levels things out. The fans are the first to understand that this is Argentina and nothing for us is easy. “There is something special to this jer sey. We will keep going forward and there is no way we haven’t come out of this stronger and will be moving forward.” – Reuters

feel like we achieved a victory because we held our own against the world champions,” fan Adilson Soaresz told AFP . “Cape Verde was magnificent”. The Atlantic island nation has become one of the fairytale stories of this year’s expanded 48-team tourna ment, confounding expectations. In Praia, festivities continued until nearly 3am (12 noon Malaysian time) with vuvuzelas and live music blasting in the streets. “Cape Verde leaves the World Cup with its head held high”, supporter Pedro Ramos said from a fan zone in Praia, where Cape Verdeans and visi tors had gathered to watch the clash. “We were so close to beating Argentina. We were allowed to dream”, he said, gleeful that the Blue Sharks had made “the Argentines sweat”. The overwhelmingly Argentine crowd in Florida was stunned on the hour mark when Deroy Duarte fired in an equaliser for the Blue Sharks to take tory. “The feeling in the dressing room is one of sadness,” he told reporters. “We’re sad, of course, because we’re leav ing the competition and because we got so close, so close. “Even though they are sad, the players were hugging each other, they were crying. This is part of growing. “This helps us grow, and also shows that the team has a soul.” Cape Verde’s achievement was all the more remarkable given that many members of the squad play outside Europe’s elite leagues, yet they matched one of world foot ball’s traditional powerhouses for long peri ods. “I feel pride in my players and what they did. They did it with dignity and courage,” Bubista said. “I think Argentina showed why they are world champions. I think I can say our team showed how willing they were to play this match. “I don’t think any other team could have scored two goals against Argentina and taken the match into extra time. I think that shows knackered,” Scaloni said of his players. “There are areas for improvement, but they’ve shown resilience. The players are tired because of extra time – too many minutes – and some cramps. But when they play with their hearts, they can over come anything. “The team showed their character and their worth today.” Scaloni acknowledged that the contest was far less comfortable than many had predicted, especially after Cape Verde’s second equaliser raised the prospect of a major upset. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral curled a superb shot into the top corner to put the teams back on level terms in extra-time. “I just wanted the match to be over,” said Scaloni. “You saw the stunning goal they scored. I’m always wary. I was calmer than I looked. Everyone thought it would be a walk in the park, but we knew it wouldn’t be.”

Bubista

However after an epic last-32 contest in Miami where Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the brink, the reigning world champions snatched a 3-2 win to move on, and the rank outsiders’ jour ney was over. “We lost the match, but we

A bridge too far Proud Cape Verde coach Bubista bids bittersweet farewell to World Cup

C APE VERDE coach Bubista said his play ers had given their nation a tournament to remember after pushing reigning champions Argentina to the limit before suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 extra-time defeat in the World Cup Round of 32 yesterday. The island nation, ranked 67th in

the world, arrived at their first World Cup with little expectation but emerged as one of the stories of the tournament. They held former champions Spain and Uruguay to draws in the group stage before producing another fearless display against three-time world champions Argentina. Only an extra-time winner separated the sides after Cape Verde twice fought back, earning widespread admiration for refusing to abandon their attacking philoso phy against one of the favourites for the title. Bubista, the former centre back who has overseen Cape Verde’s remarkable rise, said the mood in the dressing room reflected just how close his players had come to pulling off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup his

Argentina made to suffer: Scaloni

ARGENTINA manager Lionel Scaloni said the breathless 3-2 extra-time win over Cape Verde in the World Cup last-32 was a reminder that no knockout match is easy, after the holders were twice pegged back by the tiny African nation before scrap ing through. “That was for those who said we had an easy run in the draw,” Scaloni told reporters after yester day’s match. “Sure, we deserved to win and go through, but it was an extremely difficult match.” Argentina arrived as heavy favourites but were forced into a draining battle as Cape Verde, huge underdogs on paper, levelled twice and pushed the champions deep into extra time. “They finished the match absolutely