SOCCER: Tiny Cape Verde gains popularity through dream run at World Cup

Cape Verde is the smallest nation ever to reach the knockout phase of a World Cup. And yet, it feels like they're playing for everyone.

Fans of the tiny nation of islands off Africa's Atlantic coast understandably danced and reveled outside the stadium in Houston following a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia on Friday night that clinched second place in Group H and a berth in the round of 32.

As they did so, they were joined by neutrals with allegiances from all over the globe, wearing the jerseys of their own national teams augmented with a Cape Verdean hat, scarf or pin.

"It feels like everybody supports us," said Deroy Duarte, who earned man of the match honors for his midfield work. "And I think it's something we deserve. We're a beautiful country, a beautiful people, and it's a dream to put Cape Verde on the map like this."

That draw, combined with Uruguay's 1-0 loss to Spain, was enough to see the World Cup debutants become the first to reach the knockout phase in 20 years, and set up a meeting with Lionel Messi and Argentina on July 3 in Miami Gardens, Fla.

And while Cape Verde may have ridden their luck in their opening 0-0 draw with Spain (the oddsmakers' pre-tournament favorites), they were probably unlucky not to win their finale after a second half in which they dominated territory and chances but lacked the final touch.

"We tried to play football, we tried to play our style," said forward Dailon Livramento. "This was the game where we could show it. I think at the end, if we're going to look at what we can do better, it's finishing the chances. But that's something for the next game. Now it's time to celebrate."

In a tournament that began with the public questioning the wisdom of expanding to 48 teams, Cape Verde's success will leave many wondering what took so long.

Even now, Africa's ratio of 10 qualifiers from 53 entrants is still the lowest ratio among continental confederations.

So much of previous African World Cup failings have been attributed to mismanagement and tactical naivety, criticisms that are sometimes based in truth, sometimes rooted in stereotype.

But the talent level on the continent has always been clear. Which has begged the question of how the world expected those national teams to reach their ceiling if global experience was uniquely inaccessible.

That's not Cape Verde's problem to solve. But they've shown it's worth solving.

"We have shown that nothing is impossible," said the man known as Bubista, Cape Verde's manager and a former player in the 1990s and early 2000s. "Of course, we represent our countries, but we also represent Africa. And beyond that, we represent the small countries around the world."

--Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media