Vozinha collapses after heroics as Cape Verde stuns Spain in historic draw

Abayomi Ademola

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha produced the performance of his career as the World Cup debutants shocked Spain with a historic 0-0 draw in Atlanta, producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper made seven crucial saves to frustrate the European champions, with Ferran Torres, Aymeric Laporte and Mikel Oyarzabal denied as Cape Verde defended valiantly against relentless Spanish pressure.

Ranked 67th in the world and participating in their first FIFA World Cup, the Blue Sharks matched Spain in discipline, organization and confidence to secure the most significant result in the nation’s football history.

An emotional Vozinha burst into tears after the final whistle as thousands of Cape Verde fans celebrated wildly in the stands. “I cried because I grew up with my grandparents,” he said after being named player of the match.

“Unfortunately they weren’t here. They died a few years before. They were everything to me, everything to my life. And also for my mother. She didn’t make it here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we couldn’t get here in time. I wish she was here.”

The veteran goalkeeper also praised the unity and fighting spirit within the squad. “Our best weapon is our unity,” Vozinha added. “Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect because it is our first time, but we are here to compete and we are here to fight for our country.”

Born Josimar Dias in Mindelo, Vozinha revealed that his path to the World Cup had not been easy after becoming a professional footballer at just 25 years old. “I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream,” he said.

The Chaves goalkeeper, who has played in Portugal, Slovakia, Angola, Moldova and Cyprus during his career, became the oldest player to appear in a nation’s debut World Cup match and left the field as a symbol of Cape Verde’s fearless performance against one of football’s giants.