Uruguay in trouble after tying Cape Verde!
Uruguay needs a miracle!
Miami, United States, Jun 21 (EFE).-
Uruguay’s national football team is in trouble. If the draw against Saudi Arabia could be considered a surprise, the 2-2 tie with Cape Verde national football team was not — and it leaves Uruguay needing a win against Spain in the final group match to reach the round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup.
The performance was again largely underwhelming, and two crosses on target by Maxi Araujo and Agustín Canobbio were the most positive takeaways for a team that spent the entire week insisting it had learned from its first-half showing against the Saudis.
Mistakes are costly at the World Cup. A defensive wall that split open allowed Cape Verde to take the lead with its first-ever World Cup goal, and a turnover by Mathías Olivera combined with a poor decision by Fernando Muslera led to the Cape Verde side’s second goal.
Uruguay enters the final matchday with two points, sitting third in the group. A win against Spain would keep hopes of finishing first alive, but a draw would leave its fate dependent on other third-place teams, while a loss would eliminate Uruguay outright.
From the opening minutes, the match recalled the game against Saudi Arabia and turned into deja vu when the Africans went ahead after 20 minutes.
A thunderous shot from 30 meters by Kevin Pina passed through the middle of the wall, leaving Muslera no chance. The goalkeeper became the Uruguayan with the most World Cup appearances, playing his 18th match to move ahead of Edinson Cavani.
Uruguay absorbed the blow and nearly conceded again after losing the ball while playing out from the back, but Gilson Benmichol tangled himself up and lost possession just as he entered the box.
The forward was Cape Verde’s most liberated player in attack, with his team again sitting deep as it did against Spain, though in Miami it showed more bite on the counter.
Watching from the stands was the mother of Cape Verde goalkeeper “Vozinha,” the hero against Spain, who attended the match after missing the opener due to visa issues.
She did not see her son make a single save. Uruguay finished the first half with two shots on target — and both went in.
First came Araujo’s equalizer, pouncing on a rebound after a Cape Verde defender hit the post. Then, in stoppage time, Araujo extended another cross that Canobbio turned into the net.
That sequence might have suggested Uruguay would push to extend its lead and improve its goal difference ahead of the final match against Spain, which earlier routed Saudi Arabia 4-0.
But without the predatory presence of Luis Suárez, who watched from the stands, Uruguay revived Cape Verde with another turnover by Olivera and a poor outing by Muslera. Helio Varela beat the goalkeeper and made it 2-2 into an empty net.
Uruguay thought it had found a third from a corner kick. The stadium erupted, only to fall silent after a marginal offside on the taker required a detailed VAR review.
With an eye on the decisive match against Spain, the draw was not good enough for Uruguay. That was clear from coach Marcelo Bielsa, who introduced Darwin Núñez and Nicolás de la Cruz during a hydration break he had criticized the day before for disrupting rhythm.
The improvised timeout sparked Uruguay’s most attacking spell of the match.
“La Celeste” flooded Cape Verde’s box, the Africans now pinned back. Defenders and Vozinha repelled a barrage of crosses, both low and aerial.
Federico Valverde nearly produced a moment of magic with a powerful shot from the edge of the area, and Canobbio had a clear one-on-one late on. Uruguay then held its breath when a Cape Verde counter ended with Da Costa going down in the box, briefly raising fears of a penalty.
This time, Cape Verde did not need another miracle from Vozinha to secure a point. It did it its way and heads into the final matchday unbeaten, where it will play Saudi Arabia for a place in the knockout stage.
Uruguay (2): Fernando Muslera; Guillermo Varela, Sebastián Cáceres, Mathías Olivera, Juan Manuel Sanabria; Manuel Ugarte (Nicolás de la Cruz, 69), Rodrigo Bentancur; Federico Valverde, Agustín Canobbio, Maxi Araujo (Brian Rodríguez, 82); Federico Viñas (Darwin Núñez, 69).
Coach: Marcelo Bielsa.
Cape Verde (2): Vozinha; Moreira, Pico Lopes, Diney Borges, Sidny Cabral; Kevin Pina (Laros Duarte, 71), Telmo Arcanjo (Deroy Duarte, 46), Jamiro Monteiro (Yannick Semedo, 80); Garry Rodrigues (Helio Varela, 58), Ryan Mendes, Gilson Benmichol (Nuno da Costa, 58).
Coach: Pedro Leitão Brito “Bubista.”
Goals: 0-1, 21st, Kevin Pina; 1-1, 44th, Maxi Araujo; 2-1, 45+6, Agustín Canobbio; 2-2, 61st, Helio Varela.
Referee: Espen Eskas (Norway)
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami. Attendance: 64,003. EFE
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