Debutants Cape Verde fought back to hold two-time champions Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling Group H encounter at the 2026 World Cup on Sunday.
Kevin Pina opened the scoring with a stunning 32-metre free-kick in the 21st minute, before Maxi Araújo and AgustÃn Canobbio turned the game around for Uruguay either side of half-time.
Hélio Varela capitalised on defensive lapses to equalise in the 61st minute, securing a remarkable point for the underdogs who had earlier drawn with Spain.
BBC pundit Sue Smith praised the visitors’ resilience: “It’s brilliant… to go and do it again against Uruguay. The story of this team keeps going, the togetherness, the fight.”
Cape Verde became the first debutant nation since Senegal in 2002 to remain unbeaten in their opening two World Cup matches.
Uruguay, now needing a strong result against Spain in their final group game, were left frustrated despite dominating large spells of the match at Miami Stadium.
The result keeps both teams in contention for the knockout stages.
