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Uruguay and Cape Verde will face off this Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami in an unprecedented match that could determine the future of both teams in the .
The Celeste arrives with the need to secure three points after the 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in their debut. Maximiliano Araújo salvaged the point in the 80th minute after the team coached by Marcelo Bielsa overcame a deficit created in the first half, but the result raised questions about the level of the South American team.
The inaugural draw is not a novelty for Uruguay: the Celeste has only won one of its last nine opening matches in World Cups, a trend that worries its fans.
However, the numbers improve significantly in the rest of the group stage: just two losses in their last 15 World Cup matches at that stage, with eight victories amassed.
Another factor in favor of Uruguay is its record against African teams in World Cups: five matches, three wins, and two draws, without a single defeat.
One of the main players in the match will be Fernando Muslera, who, in his debut against Saudi Arabia, became, at 39 years and 364 days old, the oldest player in the history of Uruguay to participate in a World Cup. If he completes the match against Cape Verde, he will reach his 18th match in World Cups, an absolute record for a Uruguayan footballer.
On the other side, Cape Verde arrives as one of the major surprises of the tournament, after starring in one of the most surprising debuts in the recent history of world football.
In their World Cup debut, the Africans endured 27 shots from Spain and secured a 0-0 draw, becoming the first team since Trinidad and Tobago in 2006 to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup debut.
The hero of that night was Vozinha, a 40-year-old goalkeeper who made seven saves and was named the best player of the match. His story transcended football when it was revealed that his mother had been unable to travel due to visa issues; a wave of public support ensured she arrived in Miami to be by his side.
Cabo Verde, competing in the first World Cup in its history with a population of just 525,000 inhabitants, also arrives with remarkable stability: since November 2024, it has lost only one of its last 16 official matches, accumulating eight victories and seven draws.
After the first matchday, the four teams in Group H — Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde — ended up with one point each, making this match extremely significant for both teams.
If the Africans manage to remain undefeated in their first two World Cup matches, they will match a record not seen since Senegal in 2002, when the Lions of Teranga reached the quarter-finals. For Uruguay, on the other hand, victory is practically a necessity if they want to avoid entering the final group match under pressure.
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