Vozinha’s mum watches as Cape Verde continue their fascinating World Cup journey in Miami

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha had a special guest in the stands for Sunday’s World Cup match against Uruguay after his mother Evora finally traveled to the United States to watch her son on football’s biggest stage.

The 40-year-old spoke emotionally after Cape Verde’s draw against Spain earlier this week, revealing his mother was unable to attend due to visa issues. A social media campaign to raise funds for her travel gained momentum in the following days and eventually helped bring her to Miami, where television cameras often caught her in the crowd.

Her presence coincided with another memorable night for the Blue Sharks, who recovered from a goal down they secured a 2–2 draw against Uruguay to move to two points from the opening two matches of Group H.

Cape Verde arrived confident after a frustrating Spain and showed no signs of nervousness against the South Americans. Their reward came in the 21st minute when Kevin Pina stepped up from a free-kick and fired home Fernando Muslera’s low effort to score the country’s first World Cup goal.

Uruguay struggled to assert themselves for long periods of the first half, but found their way back into the match just before the break. Manuel Ugarte’s header bounced off the post and fell kindly to Maxi Araujo, who nodded into the empty net in the 44th minute.

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 URUGUAY VS CAPE VERDE HEADS

The dynamic changed quickly after that. Deep into the break, Araujo turned provider and headed Ugarte’s free-kick into the path of Agustin Canobbia, who finished from close range to send Marcelo Bielsa’s side into the break with a 2-1 advantage.

The equalizer was also Vozinha’s first goal of the tournament after his outstanding display against Spain made him one of the early stories of the World Cup.

However, Cape Verde refused to back down. Coach Bubista introduced fresh legs shortly before the hour and the move paid off immediately. Substitute Helio Varela latched on to a loose pass from Mathias Olivera, picked the ball up behind the onrushing Musler and calmly slotted it into the empty net to equalise.

The goal reignited the contest. Jamiro Monteiro went close to putting Cape Verde back in front with a powerful effort from distance as Uruguay looked for a winner. Their best chance came at the worst of times for Canobbio, but the forward fired over the bar after a cross on goal.

At the final whistle, Cape Verde’s players went straight to their supporters, who were celebrating another result that few would have predicted before the tournament. Keeping Spain was one thing. Backing up against Uruguay suggested they are no longer just a feel-good story, but a side capable of troubling some of the biggest names in world football.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

22 Jun 2026 06:55 IST