Cape Verde Equalizer Against Argentina Voted Best Goal of North and Central America World Cup

Defending champion Argentina was pushed to the brink by Cape Verde defender Sidney Lopes Cabral, 23, whose extra-time equalizer was voted by fans as the best goal of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.

FIFA announced today (July 28, Korea time) that "Cabral's sensational goal against Argentina in the Round of 32 of the North and Central America tournament has been selected as the Hyundai Goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup."

To determine the best goal of the North and Central America World Cup, FIFA shortlisted 12 goals out of a total of 308 scored in the tournament and conducted a fan vote from the 20th to the 27th local time.

Trailing 1-2 against Argentina in the 13th minute of the first half of extra time, Cabral bypassed Alexis Mac Allister on the left side of the opponent's penalty area and attempted a right-footed curling shot as he cut inside.

The ball left his foot and bypassed the fingertips of a diving goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, nestling into the top right corner of the net.

Although his team eventually lost 2-3 to Argentina after conceding an own goal in the second half of extra time and bowed out of the tournament, Cabral's goal left a strong impression of Cape Verde football once again on the 65,000-plus spectators gathered at Miami Stadium where the match took place, as well as on football fans worldwide.

Cape Verde, an African island nation with a population of only about 580,000, was making its first-ever World Cup appearance in this tournament.

However, after drawing 0-0 against this tournament's champion Spain in their opening match, they also drew with South American powerhouse Uruguay (2-2) and Saudi Arabia (0-0), finishing second in Group H with 3 draws (3 points) and an undefeated record to advance to the Round of 32, pulling off an upset by going toe-to-toe with the previous tournament's champion Argentina.

In an interview published by FIFA, Cabral recalled the scoring moment, saying, "When I saw the ball heading into the corner of the net, I couldn't believe it and thought, 'What have I just done?' When I looked at my teammates, they were all holding their heads in celebration."

After scoring the goal, Cabral brushed past his rushing teammates and ran toward the stands.

He said, "I promised my mother and girlfriend before the match that I would run to them if I scored. But when I actually ran over, my mother was crying without even realizing I was right in front of her."

He also shared the situation at the time, saying, "When I scored, my mother fainted, so everyone was busy taking care of her."

The World Cup's best goal award has been presented since the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Cabral became the second full-back to win the award, following Benjamin Pavard of France at the 2018 Russia tournament.

Cabral also revealed that Brazilian legendary full-back Marcelo had cast a vote for him.

Cabral said, "After the match, I received a message from Marcelo, whom I respect. I was happy and honored that Marcelo told me he voted for me."

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.