The World Is Captivated: An Instant 'World Cup Surprise Star'

[Anchor]

Cape Verde, an African island nation with a population of 520,000, has become the protagonist of the biggest upset in the early stages of the tournament. In their World Cup debut, they managed a 0-0 draw against title favorite Spain. A 40-year-old goalkeeper has emerged as a "World Cup surprise star" with a dazzling performance.

Ha Seong-nyong reports.

[Reporter]

Cape Verde, a "small island nation" in West Africa with a population of 520,000, achieved its dream of reaching the finals for the first time after passing the African qualifiers in first place. They shocked the world from their very first World Cup match.

With only one player from a major league among their 26-man squad, Cape Verde withstood the overwhelming firepower of Spain, whose entire roster consists of major leaguers. At the center of this effort was goalkeeper Vozinha, who made his World Cup debut at the age of 40.

Although Spain mobilized all their forces, including Oyarzabal, Pedri, and ace Yamal, who returned from injury, and fired 27 shots, goalkeeper Vozinha threw his body around with animal-like reflexes, putting on a miraculous save show that thrilled the fans.

Despite conceding 74% of possession, Cape Verde showcased clean defense, committing only one foul—the fewest in a single match in World Cup history. After finishing in a scoreless draw against Spain, they celebrated as if they had won.

Vozinha, who stood tall as the oldest goalkeeper to record a clean sheet in his World Cup debut, shed tears of emotion.

[Vozinha / Cape Verde Goalkeeper: My dream has finally come true. We stood tall against one of the best teams in the world, Spain. I am proud of my teammates and all the people of Cape Verde.]

As they secured their first historic World Cup point, celebrations erupted across Cape Verde and inside the stadium.

[Cape Verde~ Cape Verde]

The 40-year-old veteran goalkeeper saw his social media followers jump from 50,000 yesterday (June 15) to 2 million immediately after the match ended,

[Vozinha: It's truly unbelievable]

And in just half a day, the number surpassed 5 million, making him the biggest surprise star of this tournament.

(Video Editing: Yoon Tae-ho, Design: Kang Yoon-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.