Cape Verde head coach Bubista claimed “nothing is impossible” after the World Cup minnows set up a round-of-32 clash with Argentina and Lionel Messi.
The Blue Sharks’ 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia was enough to send them through to the knockout stages as runners-up in Group H – a point above third-placed Uruguay.
A third draw means Cape Verde are still unbeaten on their World Cup debut, and there were jubilant scenes when the country found out Uruguay’s defeat by Spain in the other group match would see them progress.
Cape Verde, an African country with a population of just over 500,000, will now come up against reigning champions Argentina in Miami next Friday.
Few would have predicted the side ranked 67th in the Fifa rankings would have made it through a group which included Spain and Uruguay, but Cape Verde now get the chance to pit their wits against an in-form Messi.
Head coach Bubista said at his post-match press conference: “To us, nothing is impossible.
“Ourselves and the people of Cape Verde have to be proud of what the team has done. First of all, we are proud to be able to play Argentina.
“From the very beginning, we’ve said that one of the purposes we had was to show our country to the rest of the world.
“To be able to play Argentina and Messi in a phase like this is excellent for our country, regardless of the match itself.”
