Cape Verde came close to the greatest World Cup upset of all time, twice coming from behind to force holders Argentina into extra time before going down 3-2 in their round-of-32 clash in Miami on Friday.
It was an utterly heroic performance by the smallest nation to reach the knockout stage of the tournament, handing Lionel Messi and his teammates a massive scare.
Here are the ratings for the Cape Verde players:
Vozinha (9): The 40-year-old pulled off some remarkable saves to further enhance his image. His 17.5 million Instagram followers will surely grow with his eight saves in this game.
Steven Moreira (7): The US-based right back did not lose a duel and, when in attack, he added options down the flank.
Diney Borges (8): Part of a determined defence who tried to limit Argentina’s attacking prowess and was unlucky to be credited with an own goal for Argentina’s deflected winner.
Pico Lopes (9): The Irish-born centre back was again a colossus at the back with perfectly timed interceptions and clearances.
Sidny Lopes Cabral (8): A brilliant second goal to level matters in the second half of extra time on top of a Herculean performance from a player who was in the German third division only two seasons ago.
Kevin Pina (7): Was fortunate not to pick up a second yellow card for a silly midfield foul not long after his first caution, but there was no faulting his work rate.
Jovane Cabral (5): On the left flank, he did not get into the game as much as would have been hoped for a player who is one of the few Cape Verdians at a top European club.
Deroy Duarte (7): He produced some impressive numbers in the game with 88 per cent accurate passes and two shots, coming up big in the midfield battles, and scoring a superb opening goal for the islanders.
Laros Duarte (5): The younger of the two Dutch-born brothers spent a lot of time chasing around without much opportunity to get on the front foot and was taken off after 67 minutes.
Ryan Mendes (6): Not much for the veteran skipper to do on the counter-attack, but he did manage one shot inside the Argentine box.
Nuno da Costa (5): Played as the lone striker and predictably saw little of the ball and was taken off after 67 minutes.
Jamiro Monteiro (7): Usually a first choice in the midfield, but came off the bench to help the team by pushing them forward and making them more adventurous.
Dailon Livramento (5): The top scorer in the qualifiers did not make as much of an impact at the finals and had a horror miss near the end, although had it gone in, it would not have counted because he was offside.
Willy Semedo (7): Came on in the 80th minute and his fresh legs helped keep Cape Verde in the game in extra time, taking the ball down the left and setting up chances.
Gilson Benchimol and Yannick Semedo also came on as substitutes but did not play long enough for a rating.
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