2026 World Cup: Cape Verde draw with Uruguay to reach knockout stages

With their match against Uruguay scripted by pundits – Williams and Benny McCarthy on BBC One both predicted they would lose – Cape Verde refused to follow the script.

Gift scored the second goal to level the scores, but Helio Varela did well to take a smart touch to put the ball past Muslera in the back of the net.

After that, Cape Verde showed the defensive strength that made the difference against Spain to grab a point.

However, they proved to be dealing with the attacking threat and continued to hunt for a way to grab three points.

It was a performance that saw former South Africa striker McCarthy sign a new deal for Cape Verde and former Wales defender Williams saying it was the “most entertaining” game he has covered at the World Cup so far.

“They really came out and played,” McCarthy said. “I thought they were sensational, they were brave.

“The only thing that is required is for them to work on those decisions in the final third, calmly, in the final moments of the game. I think they won the hearts of many people after this performance.”

A Cape Verdean fan told BBC Sport at a fan park in the United States: “We were all skeptical, everyone thought we wouldn’t do it. Now we’re here.”

This kind of response shapes the mood around Cape Verde at the moment, which is becoming one of the best stories of this year’s World Cup.