Cape Verde President Jos Maria Neves has expressed confidence that his nation can secure a 1-0 victory against Argentina in their upcoming round of 32 match.
This year marks Cape Verde’s inaugural appearance in the World Cup, and they have defied expectations by advancing to the knockout stage.
After impressively drawing with both Spain and Uruguay in their first two games, they secured qualification with a third draw against Saudi Arabia following Uruguay’s loss to Spain.
As a result, Cape Verde will face reigning champions Argentina in their historical first knockout match.
Argentina triumphed in all three of their group matches, with Lionel Messi netting six of their eight goals in victories against Austria, Algeria, and Jordan.
As the clear favorites, Argentina has a favorable path to the semifinals in the tournament bracket.
However, Neves remains steadfast in his belief that Cape Verde can continue to defy expectations and advance past Argentina.
“I think Cape Verde can win 1-0 against Argentina,” the president stated in a recent BBC interview.
“We are playing to win… when a team has low expectations, their desire to succeed can lead to unexpected outcomes.
“A small nation like Cape Verde should always strive to surprise the world.”
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“We believe we have a 100% chance to win against Argentina.”
Neves described the matchup with Argentina as fulfilling Cape Verde’s World Cup destiny as they prepare to confront Messi and his team.
“We came to this World Cup to carve out our destiny, which includes facing champions,” he noted.
“Thus, we will approach the game against Argentina and Messi with unwavering determination and a strong desire to win and progress to the next stage.”