Cape Verde secured a place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history after playing out a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The result completed a remarkable group-stage campaign for the tournament debutants, while Spain’s victory over Uruguay confirmed Cape Verde’s second-place finish in Group H and a place in the last 32.
The Blue Sharks have impressed throughout the competition. They opened their campaign with a 0-0 draw against Spain before fighting back to earn a 2-2 result against Uruguay. Their third consecutive draw proved enough to finish with three points, making the African nation the smallest country ever to reach the FIFA World Cup knockout rounds. They will now prepare for a huge last-32 meeting with defending champions Argentina.
Although neither side found the breakthrough, Cape Verde produced the better attacking moments in Houston. Saudi Arabia threatened early through Kanno, but clear-cut chances remained scarce during the opening half.
Cape Verde increased the pressure after the break. Wagner Pina saw a promising effort blocked inside the penalty area by Al Amri. Moments before full-time, Rodrigues delivered a dangerous cut-back for Da Costa, who fired wide with the goal at his mercy.
The statistics reflected Cape Verde’s attacking intent. They finished with an expected goals (xG) value of 1.52, comfortably ahead of Saudi Arabia’s 0.40, despite the match ending without a goal.
Cape Verde’s qualification was sealed after Spain defeated Uruguay to top Group H. The result left the Blue Sharks in second place and earned them a last-32 clash against reigning world champions Argentina on July 3 in Miami.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, finished bottom of the group with two points and exited the tournament without recording a victory.
More Read
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
