Cape Verde's magical ride ends, but the Africa islanders exit World Cup with new global reputation

All that Vozinha originally wanted out of this World Cup was for his mother to see him play.

He got that — and so much more.

Cape Verde didn’t win a single match at this year’s World Cup, and somehow, that didn’t seem to matter.

The African team’s debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a football story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history.

Cape Verde’s magical ride ended on Friday in the round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina — as most likely expected.

Final score: Champions 3, Cinderella 2, in extra time — as probably very few expected.

And with that, the journey ended.

There was a scoreless draw against Spain to open the tournament, with Vozinha leading the way, which led to the captivating tale surrounding the global collaborative effort it took to get his mother to the US to watch matches in the group stage.

There were two more dramatic draws that were good enough for Cape Verde to get out of the group stage and into the knockout round.

“What we achieved, we wanted to show what was possible for small nations. With big hearts, that you can believe, and dream anything is possible,” Irish-born defender Pico Lopes told reporters.

“I hope this team here now has inspired some young Cape Verdeans to be here next. We show what’s possible. We show what you can do when you get to this stage and meet some of the best teams in the world.”

“The World Cup means a lot to us, because it is something we have wanted for a long time. We qualified and realised the dream, not just for me or the national team, but for the entire people of Cape Verde,” said Vozinha, who is currently without a club.

“We are very proud of everything we have achieved. Obviously, we are disappointed with the result because we wanted to advance to the next round.

“We knew we were facing a very tough opponent — the world champions — but I want to acknowledge the entire federation and the whole team,” he added.