As the final whistle rang out around the Atlanta Stadium, the cameras cut to Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha. Tears streamed down the 40-year-old's face as the magnitude of what he had just achieved sank in: a 0-0 draw with World Cup favourites Spain, the most memorable result in his country's history.
The stands erupted. Thousands of Cape Verde supporters, who had carried their team with relentless noise for 90 minutes, celebrated together – hugging, dancing, relishing the result. On the pitch, players raced towards each other in complete joy. Even neutrals were swept up.
“Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha wept after a historic 0-0 draw with Spain because his mother couldn't afford a visa.”
Vozinha – real name Josimar José Evóra Dias, born in Mindelo on the island of São Vicente – had delivered the performance of his life. He made seven saves, named player of the match, and became the oldest player to appear in a nation's debut World Cup match at 40 years and 12 days, surpassing the record set two days earlier by Curaçao's Eloy Room. Only Egypt's Essam El Hadary was older when making his World Cup debut.
But his tears were not just for the result. “I cried because I grew up with my grandparents,” said Vozinha. “Unfortunately they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything for me, everything for my life. And also because of my mum. She didn't manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn't manage on time. I would like her to be here.”
In January the US government added Cape Verde to the list of countries whose citizens must post a returnable bond of up to $15,000 (£11,200) before travelling to the US, on top of the visa fee. As a result, Vozinha's mother could not complete her application.
Vozinha has been Cape Verde's No 1 for 13 years. He started playing professional football at 25 in 2012, late by any standard. “I thought about leaving the national team, but then I continued because of this dream,” he said. His club journey took him from home-based teams in Cape Verde to clubs in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus and Slovakia; he now plays for GD Chaves in Portugal.
On the pitch, Spain dominated possession but could not break through. Ferran Torres hit the bar in the European champions' best chance; everything else on target Vozinha stopped. “Our best weapon is our unity,” he said. “Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no … we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.”
Cape Verde head coach Bubista added: “Vozinha is overwhelmed by the emotion. He has made a huge effort to be here, and those were tears of resilience.”
After the match, Vozinha's Instagram following exploded. Former Cape Verde international Georges Santos told the BBC: “Vozinha is man of the match for me, some great saves – we got lucky sometimes but yesterday was tremendous. He brought his experience, his calmness.”
Vozinha himself summed it up: “I have worked my whole life for this moment. I'm 40 years old. This is for everyone.” Cape Verde, in their first World Cup, now look ahead to their remaining group games, hoping to build on a result that stunned the football world.