S. Lopes Cabral
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Argentina v Cape Verde: World Cup 2026 last 32 – live
⚽️ Kick-off time: 6pm local/8am AEST/11pm BST⚽️ Egypt edge Australia on penalties | Mail TomLionel Messi will play in his 30th World Cup match tonight, extending his record for the most by a men’s player in their career. He’ll be joined by Lautaro Martinez in attack, while Julian Alvarez drops to the bench.For Cape Verde, Cape Verde midfielder Telmo Arcanjo, who was struggling with a leg injury, starts on the bench. Sidny Lopes Cabral returns from suspension to start at left-back. Continue reading...
Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral: ‘If you’re like “oh, it’s Messi”, you’re gonna lose your mind’
The full-back on defying the odds, dealing with racism, Cape Verde’s party people and taking on Lionel Messi“When we saw 1%, we just laughed.” Cape Verde liked those odds, and so did Sidny Lopes Cabral. “They gave us a 1% chance of reaching the next round, but we showed how big 1% is,” the defender says. He has always known there was a chance however small it looked, in Rotterdam or anywhere: in Germany, where he froze in the fifth tier earning £850 a month, using bin bags for curtains, and in America too. His mates told him he was crazy; he told his mum not to worry. “I always told them, ‘hey, I’m going to be a great football player: I’m gonna reach the top.’ And I’m living in my dream now.”Now, an island of 300,000 people, the story of this World Cup, face the champions. And Lopes Cabral, the left-back and the second-youngest player in the squad at 23, faces arguably the best footballer of all time. “I hope I get some nice pictures of me standing next to him,” Lopes Cabral says. “I have no words to describe how I feel, how we all do. Back in Cape Verde, every game there are parties. In the Netherlands, in France, everywhere Cape Verdean people live. In Rotterdam it’s crazy.” Continue reading...
More than the Score
Cape Verde defender Sidny Lopes Cabral discusses his excitement ahead of playing Argentina
Tiny Cape Verde steal the show against Argentina in a performance to last in World Cup lore
The African minnows capped off an impressive run with a heroic performance in a 3-2 loss to the defending championsIt was a sight we’d seen hundreds of times before, six times previously in this World Cup alone. Lionel Messi celebrating a goal, sprinting away with his arms outstretched in celebration. Against Cape Verde on Friday, Messi used a breathtaking first touch and deft, close-range finish to score Argentina’s opening goal and take the lead, one few in attendance thought they would relinquish.Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, Vozinha, was left crumpled on one knee, his World Cup dream slipping away. The 40-year-old had become a sensation after playing brilliantly to shut out the European champions, Spain, in Cape Verde’s tournament opener. Vozinha, who plays his football in the Portuguese second division, made $53,000 last year. Messi made more than that for every five minutes he was on the field with Inter Miami last year. Continue reading...
World Cup 2026: Cape Verde give Argentina mighty scare; last 16 begins amid Mexico v England fixture chaos – live
⚽ All the latest news and reaction from the World Cup⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Knockout draw | Mail usAustralia lost to Egypt on penalties in one of the more disastrous shootout cock ups. Changing goalkeepers is a bold move, especially when Mat Ryan made a right Shilton of himself.Jonathan Wilson was there. Continue reading...