Courageous Cape Verde stand tall as Uruguay's World Cup pedigree wilts

MIAMI, June 21 : As Cape Verde celebrated one more precious World Cup point against yet another former champion, the shock was not that they scored twice against Uruguay in a pulsating 2-2 draw but that they never looked surprised themselves.

This was only Cape Verde's second World Cup match, a fixture that on paper pitted newcomers against one of the traditional powers, with 51 rungs separating the two sides in the rankings.

Yet from the opening minutes, it was difficult to identify which team carried the weight of history and which players were simply enjoying the moment as Cape Verde approached Uruguay without deference or fear.

"This is something we owe to other smaller national teams, teams that struggle to qualify for a World Cup," Cape Verde coach Bubista told reporters.

"A country may be small, may struggle financially, but if they're resilient, if they can endure struggle, if they work in an organised manner, they can also stand shoulder to shoulder with other major teams."

Marcelo Bielsa had packed Uruguay's midfield, probably in the expectation that Cape Verde could sit back as they did against Spain, but that backfired quickly.

Cape Verde's confidence was visible in moments, when Garry Rodrigues spun away from Guillermo Varela with a turn that drew a roar from the crowd or when Telmo Arcanjo made a driving run from deep into Uruguay territory.

Rodrigo Bentancur could do little more than bring him down and accept a booking as Uruguay appeared unsettled and unsure where the next challenge would come from.

AMBITIOUS FREE KICK

Cape Verde's opening goal reflected that boldness as Kevin Pina's ambitious strike from over 30 metres out squeezed through the wall and beyond the desperate dive of veteran keeper Fernando Muslera.