Vozinha became a hero after keeping a clean sheet in the opening match against Spain (0–0), but said with tears in his eyes after the match that his mother had been unable to attend due to visa problems.
In the draw against Uruguay, the mother was in the stands. After the final whistle, she waved her country's flag and celebrated wildly while her son applauded the fans from the pitch.
“Keep your head high”
"I want to thank all the supporters and everyone who helped during the process," she says in a video clip that FIFA published before the match and continues:
Keep your heads high, fight for a goal and you will play fantastically, my boys. A kiss to you, be strong and brave.
The draw against Uruguay leaves Cape Verde third in Group H, level on two points with Uruguay; Spain tops the group.
The new format of the World Cup means that Cape Verde has a good chance of advancing to the playoffs in their very first World Cup.
15 million followers
On Saturday, Saudi Arabia, who drew 1-1 with Uruguay and lost 0-4 to Spain, await in their final group game.
Eight of the twelve best third-place teams across the groups will advance to the round of 32, while the top two teams in each group will advance automatically.
Victory against Saudi Arabia secures advancement for Cape Verde. A draw could also be enough.
Nigeria (ranked 74th in 1998) and Russia (70th in 2018) are the only teams that have previously reached the finals while ranked lower in the world rankings than Cape Verde is now (63rd).
The story of Cape Verde, Vozinha and his mother has become a big one around the world. Before the World Cup, the goalkeeper had around 50,000 followers on Instagram. Just before the kick-off against Uruguay, he had reached 15 million followers.
