During their 2026 FIFA World Cup run, Cape Verde became the smallest country to reach the knockout round. But they had the biggest hearts in their round of 32 clash against Argentina. Coming back twice and taking the reigning champions to extra time was an extraordinary effort, encapsulating their group stage journey, which Zlatan Ibrahimovic appreciated.

“I can stand there and give applause to Cape Verde because it was all about Cape Verde,” said Ibrahimovic on Fox Sports. “Small island with big dreams, and they almost rocked a big giant. But these guys, they’re heroes; they became idols of that small island, and they are stars. They didn’t lose any game during 90 minutes; important to say, they almost made it in this game.

“I think the whole world didn’t believe it was possible, maybe, or I would say that small island believed it was possible. And what they did will remain in the history books, and they made a dream come true. And I almost have tears because I enjoyed this moment seeing these images. As Thierry said, Argentina is not even celebrating because this is not about Argentina or Leo Messi; this is all about Cape Verde, and they almost did it. ”

In the knockout match, Argentina were expected to dominate, especially when Lionel Messi scored in the 28th minute. It was his seventh of the tournament, but all the records did not matter after Verde’s Deroy Duarte second-half strike silenced the thousands of Argentina fans inside Miami Stadium. In extra time, Lisandro Martínez made it 2-1, but the African nation refused to quit.

Sidny Cabral’s breathtaking strike was rated just 0.03 expected goals. It was possibly the goal of the World Cup, and for the second time, Cape Verde had the 2022 World Champions on the ropes. Ultimately, Cristian Romero headed in the game-winner via a deflection off Diney Borges from Lionel Messi’s corner in the 111th minute to seal the game.

That is why figures like Zlatan Ibrahimovic praised Cape Verde for showing courage, quality, and belief time and again. Their journey had already been remarkable during the group stage after being undefeated in a group that featured previous champions and powerhouses Spain and Uruguay. Limiting Spain to a goalless draw and sharing the spoils with Uruguay, and another point against Saudi Arabia, was enough for them to qualify.

Even Lionel Messi, after the game, had only positive words for his rivals tonight. “Honestly, we knew beforehand that the match would be extremely tough,” Messi told reporters after the match. “These are knockout matches, and no one gives you anything for free. Some might underestimate national teams because of their names, but we knew it wouldn’t be an easy match at all”.

Not underestimating the 67th-ranked nation proved to be crucial as the Argentines never had it easy. Cape Verde have been eliminated, but the stories of their performance will linger for longer.