‘Small nation, big hearts’ —Vozinha hails Cape Verde after World Cup feat
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha says his team is made up of bunch of fighters who are ready to make their country proud at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The island nation located in the central Atlantic Ocean secured a spot in the knockout stage of the World Cup after securing a 0-0 draw against Saudi at the Houston Stadium.
Vozinha, emerged as the standout performer in the game as he delivered crucial saves to deny Saudi Arabian attackers a sniff at goal in the exhilarating Group H game.
He stopped a dangerous header from Mohamed Kanno in first-half of stoppage time and then saved a late 92nd-minute strike from Abdullah Al-Hamdan to keep the scores at 0-0.
Cape Verde are not only one of the lowest-ranked teams at the World Cup, but they became the smallest country – in terms of population – ever to reach the knockouts stage of the competition.
The island nation which is located off the western coast of Africa has a population of just over 500,000, and Vozinha says they may be small country in size but they have big hearts.
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“We know we are from a small country but we already knew also that we would come here to compete.
“Many didn’t give us a chance but we have proven that we have a lot of quality players and we are here to compete.
“Our players can play in the big leagues. We have a lot of passion. We all grew up with a lot of difficulties and we value the sacrifices made by our parents and grandparents.
“We have shown the passion we have for our country. We are small but we have big hearts, we are fighters.” The goalkeeper noted.
The Blue Sharks which finished as runners-up in Group H after remaining completely undefeated will now face reigning champions Argentina in the Round of 32 on Friday, July 3, 2026.
