World Cup debutants Cape Verde will face reigning champions Argentina in the knockout rounds after drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia on Friday to extend their fairytale journey.
The stalemate in Houston and Spain’s 1-0 win over Uruguay meant the team ranked 67 finished runners-up behind Spain in Group H.
Having drawn all three group matches, the archipelago nation of just over 500,000 will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Miami on July 3 in another chapter to their remarkable story.
The players of Cape Verde — the third-smallest team in World Cup history by population — were in tears afterwards, as were some of their fans.
The squad waited an agonising minute or two before news of the Spain win filtered through on a mobile phone, then erupted in celebration.
“I’m living in a dream to be honest,” midfielder Deroy Duarte told broadcasters.
The joyous scenes were replicated in Cape Verde’s
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