Cape Verde proved anything is possible at World Cup — Pico Lopes

Cape Verde's defender Pico Lopes declared that the team's performance at the World Cup demonstrated that "anything is possible" for smaller nations. The islanders, with a population of just over 500,000, came remarkably close to causing a major upset against defending champions Argentina in the last-32 stage.

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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.

Argentina ultimately secured a narrow 3-2 victory in extra time, with an own goal in the 111th minute deciding the contest. Cape Verde had previously held their own against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia in their debut World Cup appearance. Lopes expressed hope that their journey would inspire young Cape Verdeans, showing what can be achieved when competing against the world's best teams.

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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.

Goalkeeper Vozinha was another standout, becoming a global social media phenomenon. His Instagram followers surged from around 50,000 to over 19 million during the tournament. Vozinha described the World Cup as a long-held dream realized for the entire nation, expressing pride in their achievements despite the disappointment of not advancing further. He acknowledged the difficulty of facing the world champions but praised his teammates' incredible effort and stated they left the competition with their heads held high.

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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 the national team or me, but for the entire people of Cape Verde.

The match itself was a dramatic affair. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for Argentina, but Cape Verde twice equalized, first through Deroy Duarte's strike forcing extra time, and later with a stunning goal from Sidny Lopes Cabral. However, an own goal by Diney Borges under pressure from Cristian Romero ultimately sealed Argentina's progression.

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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.