The party in Praia had already started long before Kevin Pina stepped up to a 30-yard free-kick. What happened next sent the Cape Verdean capital into orbit.
Pina's arrowed effort arrowed towards goal, Uruguay's wall parted as they jumped, and the ball flew past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. In the archipelago's capital, the first goal was met with jubilation.
“Cape Verde draw with Uruguay, following shock Spain result, and now eye World Cup knockouts.”
But this was not a one-off. Cape Verde, the tiny island nation with a population of under 525,000, had already produced one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history by drawing with Spain, who were 65 places higher in Fifa's rankings. On Sunday, they did it again: a thrilling 2-2 draw with two-time winners Uruguay.
From the first minute, they were attack-minded, constantly attempting to get the ball up the pitch to cause Uruguay trouble. The South American heavyweights found themselves on the ropes. “They will be checking their phones to see how many followers they have,” former Wales defender Ashley Williams said on BBC One.
Goalkeeper Vozinha, who rose from 40,000 Instagram followers before the Spain match to more than 15 million, needed no heroics this time as Uruguay managed only two shots on target. Instead, heroes emerged at the other end. After Uruguay took the lead, Helio Varela produced a deft touch to take the ball past the stranded Muslera before stroking it into the net to draw the scores level.
Vozinha's mother had been unable to attend the Spain match because of the high cost of obtaining a visa to enter the USA, but she was present in Miami, treated to an enthralling display. Written off by pundits — Williams and Benni McCarthy both predicted they would lose — Cape Verde refused to follow the script.
They are creative, entertaining and confident, and have now held their own against two World Cup stalwarts. With one group game remaining, Cape Verde are in serious contention for a place in the knockout rounds. The Blue Sharks are on the cusp of making history — from an archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean to the last 32 of the World Cup.