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07/04 15:08 CDT Conquered heroes: For Cape Verde, a World Cup run means many
things will change
Conquered heroes: For Cape Verde, a World Cup run means many things will change
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) --- Cape Verde's World Cup team walked into its Miami
hotel after getting eliminated from the tournament, almost in disbelief at the
scene in the lobby.
Dozens of people were there, cheering for them.
After a loss, no less.
Let that be the first sign of how things are going to be very different in many
respects for the team, at least for the foreseeable future. Such is the case
when a club goes from unheralded --- and practically unheard of --- to taking
Lionel Messi and Argentina to the brink of elimination on soccer's biggest
stage, before falling 3-2 in a match that went to extra time.
"It's time to rest and think about the future," Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha
said. "But I am very, very proud of the team's work, and I hope that in the
future we can achieve great things."
In other words, he hopes seeds were planted.
Cape Verde went 0-1-3 in its four matches at its inaugural World Cup, which
won't look great on paper. More than two-thirds of the 48 teams in this
tournament won at least one game; Cape Verde wasn't one of them.
But the record simply doesn't tell the whole story.
It played Spain to a scoreless draw to open the group stage, making the chance
of advancing to the knockout stage very real. There were two more ties in group
play --- a 2-2 tie against Uruguay that put Cape Verde on the brink of
advancing, then a 0-0 tie against Saudi Arabia that was good enough to get the
round of 32 trip secured.
Argentina's players and coaches, to their credit, insisted they did not expect
a cakewalk past Cape Verde. And when the match was over, Messi --- generally
considered to be the greatest player of all time --- had nothing but
compliments for the underdog opponent.
"Some people thought the match was going to be straightforward, but that
couldn't have been further from reality," Messi said after Friday's match.
"They pressed us really well. There are no handouts in knockout football.
They'd already performed well against Spain and Uruguay, so we knew it was
going to be difficult."
For Argentina, getting the win was indeed difficult.
For Cape Verde, coming to grips that the ride ends here was also difficult.
That said, when they walked through that hotel lobby, it was like the return of
conquering heroes. Bubista, the team's coach, shook his fist in celebration.
Many players couldn't stop smiling. Vozinha shook some hands and posed for a
few photos.
They were celebrities. Rock stars, almost. The score didn't matter. The
totality of three weeks that put Cape Verde on soccer's map did matter.
"I can only thank our team for their effort and for showing so much heart on
that pitch," Bubista said. "And I think everyone should thank them for what
they did for this tournament."
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See more of AP's World Cup coverage here
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