Cape Verde continued their remarkable FIFA World Cup campaign by holding two-time champions Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling Group H encounter in Miami, USA.
The result extended the African nation’s unbeaten run to five matches and kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stage firmly in their own hands after successive draws against Spain and Uruguay.
Fresh from their historic goalless draw against Spain, the World Cup debutants stunned Uruguay again when Kevin Pina etched his name into Cape Verdean football history.
The midfielder unleashed a stunning long-range free-kick in the 21st minute, beating Fernando Muslera and handing Cape Verde their first-ever goal at a FIFA World Cup finals.
The strike sparked wild celebrations among the Cape Verde supporters and left Marcelo Bielsa’s side chasing the game.
Uruguay responded strongly before the break.
Maximiliano Araújo restored parity in the 44th minute after reacting quickest inside the penalty area before Agustín Canobbio completed the turnaround deep into first-half stoppage time, firing home to give La Celeste a 2-1 lead at halftime.
Cape Verde refused to fold and produced another memorable moment shortly after the restart.
A costly defensive error by Uruguay allowed substitute Hélio Varela to intercept a misplaced pass, round the stranded Muslera and calmly slot into an empty net in the 61st minute to level the scores.
The Islanders almost found a winner when Jamiro Monteiro’s ambitious effort narrowly missed the target, while Uruguay thought they had reclaimed the lead through Araújo only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
Despite late pressure from the South Americans, Cape Verde held firm to secure another historic result.
The draw leaves Cape Verde unbeaten after two matches and in control of their destiny heading into their final group game against Saudi Arabia.
Uruguay, meanwhile, face a difficult encounter against Spain as they seek to avoid an early World Cup exit.
