Cape Verde’s World Cup run reached the knockout stage after the tournament debutant secured a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia. The Blue Sharks finished the group stage unbeaten with three points from three draws and advanced to the round of 32.

Cape Verde World Cup run secured by Vozinha

Goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, made several decisive saves as Saudi Arabia pushed for the victory it needed.

He stopped Mohamed Kanno’s header in first-half stoppage time, deflected Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat’s attempt in the 66th minute and denied Abdullah Al-Hamdan in the 92nd.

Cape Verde also threatened at the other end. Kevin Pina sent a long-range effort over the crossbar in the 50th minute, while Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais saved Laros Duarte’s shot in the 74th. Nuno da Costa fired wide in the closing seconds.

Unbeaten group stage sends Blue Sharks through

Cape Verde had already held Spain to a scoreless draw and rallied for a 2-2 result against Uruguay. Spain later defeated Uruguay to win the group, leaving Cape Verde in second place.

Players and supporters celebrated after Spain’s result confirmed qualification. Coach Bubista, draped in the national flag, said the team had shown that a small country could compete through determination and belief.

Vozinha said Cape Verde came to demonstrate the quality of its players and their ability to compete at the highest level. His mother, Ana Candida Evora, watched from a luxury suite after missing the Spain match because of visa issues.

Cape Verde is scheduled to face reigning champion Argentina in Miami, according to the supplied report. The provided information does not include a complete date for that match.

Saudi Arabia was eliminated with two points. Coach Georgios Donis acknowledged that his team had struggled to create chances and control the match.

The result extends a landmark tournament debut for Cape Verde and gives the Blue Sharks an opportunity to test their disciplined approach against one of the competition’s strongest teams.