Cape Verde coach Pedro ‘Bubista’ Brito hailed his side’s spirit and identity after the Blue Sharks earned a hard-fought 2-2 draw against two-time world champions Uruguay to move within touching distance of a historic place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stages.
Making their debut on football’s biggest stage, Cape Verde have captured the imagination with successive impressive performances against Spain and Uruguay, leaving qualification for the Round of 32 firmly within their grasp heading into the final group match against Saudi Arabia.
Speaking after Sunday’s thrilling encounter, Bubista said the achievement went beyond results.
“From the beginning, we came here to compete at the highest level. What makes us happy is not only the results, but being able to show our identity as a team, our spirit, our unity and ability to fight back”.
The Blue Sharks twice stunned their illustrious opponents in Miami and, despite surrendering the lead before half-time, fought back to secure another memorable point that keeps alive dreams of reaching the knockout stages in their maiden appearance.
Bubista insisted that qualification had always been part of Cape Verde’s ambitions.
“We are here to compete and to chase a dream, which is qualification for the second round. That has always been our mentality. We respect all our opponents and we know their qualities, but we are here with the clear objective of fighting for qualification.”
With two points from their opening two matches and their confidence soaring, Cape Verde head into their final Group H encounter knowing that another positive result could complete one of the great stories of the FIFA World Cup.
SOURCE: CAF ONLINE
