Defending World Cup champions Argentina and tournament debutants Cape Verde played the best match of the tournament so far when they met in the Round of 32 at the FIFA World Cup in the Miami Stadium.
The small African nation gave a tough competition to Lionel Messi's side, coming back from behind to equalise not once but twice in the match. In what was considered to be a comfortable match for Argentina, Cape Verde forced them to play Extra-time and after a valiant fight, were beaten 3-2 on the historic night.
At the centre of Cape Verde's historic run at the 2026 World Cup who even managed to hold both Spain and Uruguay to a draw in the Group Stage, was their 40-year-old goalkeeper, Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha.
The goalkeeper made some incredible saves throughout the tournament including against Argentina where he denied none other the legendary Lionel Messi more than once. After the match, Vozinha shared what the Argentina told him when he approached the player.
"I went to see Messi after the game. He hugged me and said, 'You’re great. Your people should be proud of you'", revealed the veteran goalkeeper. He added, "Hearing words like that from someone like Leo Messi means so much to me; I thanked him and said, 'Thank you, Leo, you’re the best'".
Vozinha, who had confessed being a Messi fan before the game, also asked the Argentine captain for his jersey who promised to give it to him in the tunnel afterwards. The goalkeeper acknowledged how special the interaction was to him, something that will stay with forever.
Cape Verde was dangerously close to pulling off the biggest upset of this World Cup. Despite the tense situation on the field, there was no bitterness after the final whistle and that is exactly how it should be. Other Argentina players including goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez also went up to Cape Verdean players to congratulate them on their incredible run.
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