How do you find victory in defeat?
On paper, Cape Verde’s 3-2 loss to Argentina in extra time on Friday will go down as the defeat that knocked the country out of its first-ever World Cup run.
But for those who watched, it felt like the coda for one of the most stunning stories the World Cup has ever seen. For three weeks the smallest nation to ever make the knockout stage of the World Cup shocked and captivated the globe as they stood toe-to-toe with some of the biggest names in soccer.
In the process, the team became a symbol of pride for the local Cape Verdean community. That pride was on full display Sunday as local members of that community gathered for a flag raising ceremony outside Boston City Hall to mark the anniversary of Cape Verde gaining independence from Portugal.
Paulo De Barros, president of the Cape Verdean Association of Boston, was at the Argentina match.
“To see the commitment and the resiliency with the players and the pride, made us proud,” he said. “It made history again. I thought we were going to have it. But it’s Argentina — it’s Messi, you know?”
De Barros said the team’s performance made the celebration of Cape Verde’s independence even more special. The footage of the reception the team got when it returned home made him cry.
Elsa Gomes Bondlow was at Sunday’s ceremony and said people from all over the world now know where Cape Verde is. She was especially proud of the soul and pride the Blue Sharks showed as they faced off against a powerhouse like Argentina.
“But I think that shows a lot about what Cabo Verdeans are all the time,” she said. “It’s who they are. That’s how my parents were, my grandparents were. My grandmother died at 106 in Cabo Verde two years ago. So, I know they can be resilient. And that’s really beautiful.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Cape Verdeans knew their team wouldn’t go down quietly. And she’s hoping to give the Blue Sharks a Boston homecoming.
“We’re going to get them to Boston. How amazing would it be to have Vozinha standing here?” Wu said to cheers. “We’re going to make sure we can do that.”
Officially, Cape Verde leaves the World Cup with three draws, one loss and no wins. But that record comes nowhere near close to capturing the feeling of what it was like to watch Cape Verde look Spain in the eye and refuse to blink. Or the energy in the crowd on Boston Common when the team advanced to the knockout stage. Or the audacity of Sidney Lopes Cabral’s extra time equalizer against Argentina.
Last year, Cabo Verde marked 50 years since it gained independence, a special moment. But for Octavio Gomes, Consul General of Cape Verde in Boston, the 51st anniversary was “amazing” because of one team’s run that goes beyond any record book.
“We made something special in the world,” he said. “Our players are now ambassadors in the world. They defend us, they prove that with half a million people in Cape Verde, we can show the world that we have a great nation.”
