World Cup's smallest country finds its biggest moment
Mumbai, June 28 -- For small Cape Verde, this is a big moment.
Scripting one of the great underdog stories in sporting history, the tiny island nation off the African west coast, with a population of just over 500,000, became the smallest country to earn a spot in the knockouts of the FIFA World Cup. The World Cup debutants did so without winning a single match, but by playing three hard-fought draws with a lot of heart.
"We are small. But we have big hearts and we are fighters," said Vozinha, their 40-year-old goalkeeper who has been one of the stars of this World Cup.
Cape Verde qualified for the Round of 32 after holding Saudi Arabia 0-0 in Houston. They had earlier drawn with tournament favourites Spain (0-0) and twice former winners Uruguay (2-2). Only four teams have qualified for the knockouts after drawing all three group matches in the past - Wales (1958), Ireland and Netherlands (1990) and Chile (1998).
Cape Verde's reward is a date with defending champions Argentina in the Round of 32, to be played on July 3. P12...
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