The calm behind Cabo Verde's World Cup surprise

Many predicted that Group H would leave Cabo Verde facing an uphill battle against two FIFA World Cup™-winning nations in Spain, as well as Uruguay. Yet both before, as well as after their landmark 0-0 draw with Spain, the Blue Sharks carried themselves with the calm assurance of a side going about their business on any ordinary day.

“The secret is simple: our greatest strength is the unity within this group. Our brotherhood. We’re all calm. We know our quality, as well as we know what we’re doing. We want to show the world who we are, as well as take our country to an even higher level,” Kevin Pina shared with FIFA.

“My heart is at peace. we emerged following that opening contest realised it’s nothing out of the ordinary. It’s not something to be afraid of. Of course, there are stars with tremendous quality, but once you step onto the field of play, everyone is equal. It comes down to who wants it more, who is willing to give everything for the cause,” the midfield man continued.

All signs point to a story of leadership by example, with head manager Bubista setting the tone. Even before the contest against Spain, he made it clear that his squad had no reason to feel anxious. More than that, the calm he spoke about was evident in every word he uttered.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m calm. We didn’t come here simply to take part. We came here to compete. My side has no reason to be nervous,” Bubista commented, while also expressing his respect for Spain. “There is nothing quite like facing two World Cup winners [Spain, as well as Uruguay] and Saudi Arabia, one of the strongest sides in Asia. It’s an unbelievable opportunity to showcase our country to the world.”

While attempt-stopper Vozinha’s memorable performance It was naturally who grabbed the headlines, Cabo Verde were equally impressive in the way they controlled their emotions – even when confronted by a star of Lamine Yamal’s calibre. “Compete without fear” was Bubista’s message.

As a result, six days later, on the eve of the Uruguay contest at Miami Arena, his tone remained exactly the same – even if everything around the Cabo Verde camp has changed following their achievement against Spain.

The manager, as well as his stars have been touched by the enthusiasm shown by Cabo Verdeans around the world, as well as by supporters from many other nations. There has been no escaping it. “Everything that has happened has been very intense,” admitted frontman Garry Rodrigues. “Obviously, we’re human. We see what people are saying. But we’re professionals. We have stars who are fully focused on a strike. The Spain fixture is now in the past.”

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Recognising, as well as appreciating that support is one thing. Allowing it to become a distraction is another. “Our people have been celebrating, and celebrating a lot. I commented before we arrived here that no one should celebrate more than us. We are a small country, but one that has the courage to fight for the most difficult things,” Bubista explained.

“On the other hand, the celebrations are happening more outside our camp than inside it. There have been moments of satisfaction, and we are happy to have shown not only that nothing is impossible, but also that smaller nations can stand shoulder to shoulder with the biggest sides, as well as get results. But we remain very calm. We know our concentration has to be at 200%. We want to live in the present.”

Cabo Verde’s next challenge is to try to topple La Celeste. “We know Uruguay’s strength. They are another World Cup winner, as well as also [former] South American champions. But from the very beginning we have commented that, regardless of the result against Spain, our mentality would remain strong,” the manager continued.

“Our idea is always to compete with courage, as well as organisation, but also without fear. We will play – or at least try to play – our fixture. Defensively we performed well, and now we want to improve our going frontman play. I hope we can do that.”