Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha believes his teammates have proved they can compete at the top level on their dream run to a date with world champions Argentina in the second round of the World Cup.

Competing at the Top Level

Vozinha kept a second clean sheet of the tournament against Saudi Arabia as the Africans sensationally secured a third straight draw to progress as runners-up in Group H on their World Cup debut.

Vozinha’s first shutout against European champions Spain thrust him into the global media spotlight, but he has always been very clear that the fairytale campaign is the story of a whole squad defying the odds.

“We know we come from a small country, but we also know we came here to compete,” he told reporters after the Saudi game.

“There is a lot of quality in our national team. Maybe many of you think Cape Verdeans are not good enough, but we came here to show that we have real quality and that we are here to compete.

“Our players can play anywhere — in major competitions and in the biggest leagues.”

Representing Cape Verde

Cape Verde, 10 volcanic islands with about 500,000 inhabitants, is the least populous nation ever to reach the knockout rounds of the World Cup and Vozinha said the lesson for other small nations was to have a clear identity.

“I think we showed the resilience of the Cape Verdean people,” he said. “We showed the passion we have for our country, and we also showed that we are here to represent not just the players, but all Cape Verdeans.

“We may be small, but we have big hearts, and we are fighters. We are fighters.”

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.