Making their first World Cup appearance, Cape Verde continued to impress with a second consecutive draw, this time a thrilling 2-2 result against Uruguay in Miami (USA) on June 23. Earlier, they had held European champions Spain to a 0-0 stalemate in their opening match.
The island nation took the lead in the 21st minute through a stunning free kick by Kevin Pina — the first goal in the team's World Cup history. Uruguay quickly regained control and scored two goals in the closing minutes of the first half. Maxi Araujo equalized in the 44th minute after a shot that hit the post, and Agustin Canobbio completed the comeback in the sixth minute of stoppage time.
In the second half, a critical error by veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (40) in the 61st minute allowed substitute Helio Varela to tap into an empty net, making it 2-2 for Cape Verde. Despite intense pressure from Uruguay afterward, they could not find a winner, and a strike from Federico Valverde went wide of the post.
With two points from two matches, Cape Verde have high hopes of advancing to the knockout stage as they face Saudi Arabia in their final group game. Meanwhile, Uruguay (2 points) face a difficult path and may need to beat Spain in their last match to progress, or else risk elimination in the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup.
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa made two changes from the squad that drew with Saudi Arabia, with striker Darwin Nunez starting on the bench. Cape Verde manager Bubista also made three adjustments in attack. Goalkeeper Vozinha continued his fine form, denying Uruguay a late chance in the final moments of the match.
