David v Goliath as Cape Verde face Messi’s Argentina at World Cup

The Atlantic archipelago have become one of the fairytale stories of this year’s expanded 48-team tournament, confounding expectations by earning a draw with Spain before squeezing into the last 32 ahead of Group H rivals Uruguay and Saudi Arabia.

Portugal advanced after edging out Croatia 2-1 in a hard-fought match, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s team will now face European champion Spain on Monday.

Ninety minutes of tension were followed by a night of ecstasy that lasted long past the 8am close of the festival as Cape Verdeans celebrated the nation’s 0-0 draw that saw them reach the knockouts of the World Cup.

The Blue Sharks held pre-tournament favorites Spain to a scoreless 0-0 draw, a genuinely stunning result.