Vozinha led Cape Verde’s unlikely band of brothers to a brilliant point against Spain this afternoon and then expressed his dismay that those closest to him weren’t present in Atlanta to witness it.
The 40-year-old made seven crucial saves to keep the European champions at bay as Cape Verde celebrated their World Cup debut with a goalless draw against Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Co.
Tears streamed down his face at the final whistle as he and his team-mates secured one of the most unlikely results in the competition’s history for a country that boasts just 600,000 inhabitants.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents,” said Vozinha after being awarded player of the match. “Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life.
“And also because of my mum. She didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage on time. I would like her to be here.
“The performance is a performance for everyone. I am the man of the game, but this award is for all my colleagues, because without them, nothing is possible. And I will continue to work for the team and for the people.”
Cape Verde are at the World Cup to compete – Vozinha
Vozinha now plays for Chaves in the Portuguese second tier but has had a nomadic career with spells in Slovakia, Angola, Moldova and Cyprus. Never would he have expected a day like today.
He added: “Our best weapon is our unity. Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength.
“Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we have teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.
“We worked a lot for this. We knew we were playing against one of the best national teams in the world but we also know our quality. We worked a lot for this big day. We knew it was going to be very difficult but we’re very happy.”
Bubista the architect of Cape Verde performance
While Vozinha will claim the headlines, the draw was mostly down to the tactical acumen of coach Bubista, whose side defended superbly but also carried a threat on the counter attack.
He said: ”It means everything, for the country first of all. We said we wanted everybody to see our country, our team. We showed organisation and courage. The team were good in our defending, our defensive organisation, and were never too hurried at the back. We want to do more at this World Cup.”
