{"id":6437,"date":"2026-07-04T07:34:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T07:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6437"},"modified":"2026-07-04T07:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T07:34:09","slug":"magical-world-cup-ride-of-vozinha-and-cape-verde-ends-after-pushing-messi-and-argentina-to-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6437","title":{"rendered":"Magical World Cup ride of Vozinha and Cape Verde ends after pushing Messi and Argentina to the brink"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By TIM REYNOLDS<\/p>\n

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) \u2014 All that Vozinha originally wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play.<\/p>\n

Read more Pictures: Altamonte Springs \u2018Red Hot and Boom\u2019 celebrates America\u2019s 250th<\/a><\/p>\n

He got that \u2014 and so much more.<\/p>\n

Cape Verde didn\u2019t win a single match at this year\u2019s World Cup, and somehow, that didn\u2019t seem to matter. The African team\u2019s debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a soccer story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history.<\/p>\n

Cape Verde\u2019s magical ride ended Friday in the round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina \u2014 as most likely expected. Final score: Champions 3, Cinderella 2, in extra time \u2014 as probably very few expected.<\/p>\n

And with that, the journey ended. There was a scoreless draw against Spain to open the tournament, with Vozinha leading the way, which led to the captivating tale surrounding the global collaborative effort it took to get his mother to the U.S. to watch matches in the group stage. There were two more dramatic draws that were good enough for Cape Verde to get out of the group stage and into the knockout round.<\/p>\n

But it took a goal and an assist off a corner kick from Messi to save mighty Argentina, which got the game-winner midway through the second half of extra time, 2\u00bd hours in real time after the David vs. Goliath showdown started. Goliath was pushed to the absolute brink, with Vozinha standing tall against the world\u2019s top-ranked team \u2013 and the world\u2019s best player \u2013 time and time again.<\/p>\n

There were no fewer than four elite saves by Vozinha against Messi alone in the final 60 minutes of the match.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2014 A point-blank stop in the 63rd minute after Messi tried to power a right-footed shot past the keeper, who came off his line to cut down the angle and absorbed the shot with his body.<\/p>\n

Read more Argentina survives shocking upset bid from Cape Verde to advance to World Cup\u2019s Round of 16<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 A free kick from Messi in the 73rd seemed destined to curl into the right side of the net; Vozinha got just enough of an outstretched gloved hand on that one to knock it away to preserve what was then a 1-1 score.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Messi went low with a free kick in injury time; Vozinha managed to see the ball through a wall of bodies and dropped to his knees to make a save.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Late in the first 15-minute extra time period, Messi collected a deflected ball at the top of the penalty area and fired. Vozinha dove to his left, punching that one aside as well.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Cape Verde, the smallest nation in terms of land mass to make the World Cup and a nation with a population about 1% the size of Argentina\u2019s, will get $11 million from FIFA for making it this far in the tournament.<\/p>\n

Of course, the Blue Sharks got a lot more than money. They became known on soccer\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

Read more Daily Horoscope for July 04, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By TIM REYNOLDS MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) \u2014 All that Vozinha originally wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play. He got that \u2014 and so much more. Cape Verde didn\u2019t win a single match at this year\u2019s World Cup, and somehow, that didn\u2019t seem to matter. The African [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,6,64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-sports","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nMagical World Cup ride of Vozinha and Cape Verde ends after pushing Messi and Argentina to the brink - Orlando Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=6437\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Magical World Cup ride of Vozinha and Cape Verde ends after pushing Messi and Argentina to the brink - Orlando Relocation Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By TIM REYNOLDS MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. 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