'We made history for our country' - Cape Verde coach reflects after World Cup exit

The African nation have been the underdog story in their maiden global tournament having held Spain to a goalless draw in their opening clash and then playing to a 2-2 stalemate against Uruguay.

While most expected their World Cup journey to come to an inevitable end against Lional Messi and Argentina, Bubista charges stunned everyone when came from behind twice to force the game into and extra 30 minutes.

Cape Verde were 10 minutes away from taking the game to a penalty shoot-out but an own goal saw the African side bow out of the competition with their heads held high.

Bubista said: "First things, the pride I feel in my players and what they did, they did it with dignity and courage. We have to be aware that we did work that will stay in the (history) books and we made history for our country.

"Also for countries like ours that struggle to qualify for the World Cup, we showed that if they work with great character and focus on the goal they want, it may take time but they will be able to get there."

Bubista said throughout the tournament that Cape Verde's first World Cup campaign was not just about football but also about the spirit of the island-nation.

He added: "I think Argentina showed why they are world champions. I think I can say our team showed how willing they were to play this match.

"I don't think any other team could have scored two goals against Argentina and taken the match into extra time. I think that shows the character of our team, how skilled our team is.

"They did it with bravery and never did we lose our identity. Ours was a team that throughout the entire tournament, for as long as we were here, we wanted to play and we wanted to play against the best teams in the world.

"We played fairly and we stayed on a level playing field with our opponents. I think everyone should thank the players for their tournament, because they showed what our small country is about."

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