Tournament underdogs Cape Verde will attempt to script one of the greatest upsets in FIFA World Cup history when they face defending champions Argentina in a crucial knockout clash on Friday.
The Atlantic island nation, making history as the smallest country ever to reach the World Cup knockout stage, has emerged as one of the biggest surprise packages of the expanded 48-team tournament.
Their impressive campaign included a hard-fought draw against Spain before edging past Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to secure a place in the last 32.
Standing in their way, however, is Lionel Messi’s Argentina, who have looked every bit the defending champions after cruising through the group stage.
Inspired by their captain’s six goals, the South Americans are favourites to continue their quest for consecutive World Cup titles.
Despite the daunting challenge, Cape Verde remain confident of causing a major upset.
Head coach Bubista said his players have earned their place among the world’s best and are approaching the encounter with belief rather than fear.
Midfielder Deroy Duarte also expressed confidence, describing the match as another opportunity for the team to create history on the global stage.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who will oversee his 100th match in charge of the national team, has warned against underestimating the African side.
He noted that Cape Verde progressed through the group stage unbeaten and deserved respect for their achievements.
Victory for Argentina would set up a last-16 meeting against either Australia or Egypt, who also face off in another knockout fixture.
Australia are chasing their first-ever World Cup knockout victory, while Egypt are monitoring the fitness of star forward Mohamed Salah, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Elsewhere, Ghana will take on Colombia in another decisive clash as they seek to keep African hopes alive in the competition.
With South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, DR Congo and Algeria already eliminated, Morocco remain the only African nation to have secured a place in the last 16.
Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz believes his team has a responsibility to reverse the continent’s fortunes by progressing to the next round and adding another African representative to the knockout stage.
