Cape Verde - They came as underdogs, they left as legends

Some teams win trophies. Some teams win the world's respect. Cape Verde became one of the most beautiful stories of this World Cup.

A story that will be remembered long after the final score has been forgotten because they reminded us what belief in yourself can look like.

A nation of just over half a million people walked onto football's biggest stage carrying very little expectation. They faced three former world champions. They drew with two of them. And when they met defending champions Argentina, they refused to disappear quietly.

It took 111 minutes for Argentina to finally find the winning goal in one of the most memorable matches of the tournament.

But before that came one of the moments that will forever belong to Cape Verde. Sidny Lopes' breathtaking strike in the 103rd minute. A goal that will surely be remembered as one of the best goals of the tournament. For a few unforgettable moments, an entire nation dared to believe that another miracle was possible.

For 110 minutes, Cape Verde didn't play like underdogs. They played like they belonged. Maybe, that's what courage really is. Not believing you are guaranteed to win, but believing you deserve to stand on the same field. 

Vozinha - The 40 year-old goalkeeper who had once spoken about his dream of playing against Lionel Messi, made us believe that dreams do come true if you don’t give up. There he was, wearing his country's colours, standing across from one of football's greatest players, making save after save, refusing to let the moment become too big for him. How often do we assume that dreams come with an expiry date? Vozinha quietly reminded the world that some dreams simply take longer to arrive. And when they do, they are no less beautiful. 

Cape Verde may not have gone to the next round. But they left with something every great team hopes to earn - RESPECT. Few weeks back hardly anyone knew there was a country called Cape Verde and today whole world was cheering for them. No matter what time it was in their country, each & every football fan was on the edge, hoping for Cape Verde to create one more miracle.

They came as underdogs. They left as legends. Remember, the greatest victories are not always measured by the trophies we lift, but by the way we change what people believe is possible.