Diney Borges says Cape Verde ready for ‘wounded’ Saudi Arabia

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia know all about World Cup shocks. From Saeed Al-Owairan’s mazy solo winner against Belgium in 1994 to Salem Al-Dawsari’s memorable strike against Argentina in 2022, the Green Falcons have provided some of the tournament’s most iconic underdog moments.

But this Saturday, Georgios Donis’ side risk finding themselves on the receiving end of the kind of World Cup upset for which Saudi Arabia have previously been responsible.

In a tournament of unpredictability, Cape Verde may have been the biggest surprise of them all. Simply qualifying for a first World Cup was a monumental achievement for the West African island nation — the third-smallest by population to ever play at the finals.

Then, on their FIFA World Cup debut, Cape Verde stunned Spain, holding the reigning European champions to a 0-0 draw in their opening Group H clash. It was a remarkable result but any accusations of beginners’ luck were soon quashed as the Blue Sharks drew 2-2 with Uruguay in their second outing.

It means that, heading into Saturday’s finale, all four sides in Group H can still make it to the Round of 32.

Cape Verde defender Diney Borges has thus far managed to keep the likes of Lamine Yamal and Federico Valverde off the World Cup scoresheet. He will be aiming to do the same against Al-Dawsari and company at Houston Stadium, which has witnessed more goals than any other venue at this World Cup.

“It would be a mistake to expect a weak team after their match against Spain,” Borges told Arab News in an exclusive interview. “On the contrary, they will come into the game wounded and determined to show that they have more quality than they displayed against Spain.

“Saudi Arabia has a very talented starting 11. I know some of