Cape Verde’s unfathomable draw with Spain is why we love sports

“Soccer is so stupid, why are there ties?” Please, stop talking, uninformed American sports chauvinist.

Cape Verde just tied Spain in their first-ever World Cup game, stunning every single person in the world. including the nation of Cape Verde and everyone on the Cape Verde National Team. Yes, they tied in a group stage match, but for all intents and purposes, Cape Verde just won the Super Bowl. This is why we have ties.

Yes, a tie was just one of the largest upsets in World Cup history, with Cape Verde entering the match as 15-1 underdogs to just straight up lose and 13-1 to even salvage a draw. Cape Verde was the 67th-ranked team in the world, per FIFA’s official rankings, while Spain was second. In American terms, imagine if the 67th best basketball team in the world — let’s say Athens Panathinaikos, after every NBA team, a number of college teams and some other European clubs — forced triple overtime in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That is not something that could possibly happen.

Cape Verde played the perfect game

Yet it did, and Cape Verde showed such a commitment to their game, to their approach and to each other that I’m over here tearing up about how much I love sports. They repulsed attack after attack, enduring Spain’s 27 shots, 2.29 expected goals and 74 percent possession. They drew a line in the sand and, with an ironclad performance from 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, said “you are not going to score.”

Spain went full panic mode. They subbed in both break-glass-in-case-of-emergency wingers Lamine Yamal (perhaps the best player in the world) and Nico Williams, both of whom were injured and both of whom Spain wanted to avoid putting miles on against such a lowly opponent. Cape Verde made counter-substitutions and said, again, “you are not going to score.” 

Soccer is beautiful because results like this are possible. Save for a heart-stopping header in the 91st minute that could have put Cape Verde ahead, they never had a chance of outright winning the game. Spain spent most of the second half in an umbrella-like shell around the Cape Verde box, trying desperately to work the ball in behind through Marc Cucurella, Ferran Torres and eventually Yamal. They created a few legitimately dangerous chances, but never fully broke down the Cape Verde defense, who were so dug in you’d think they under an actual military siege. It was a bit like if an NHL team spent the entire third period on a power play, and yet could not find the back of the net.

Cape Verde securing the tie was a singular moment in sports

But a tie is beautiful because a tie is always possible. Scoring is so difficult in soccer that, no matter what, you have a chance to stop your opponent every time they come knocking. Spain knocked, rang the doorbell, brought a battering ram and then a shotgun, and Cape Verde knew they just had to keep stopping them, over and over, and they knew they could.

Just getting to the second half tied 0-0 was a major achievement, and Cape Verde made a concerted effort not to push their luck. They saw a chance to secure an impossible point and took it; while Spain would have to falter again to actually go out in the group stage, there is now a legitimate chance Cape Verde can make the knockout rounds — two-thirds of all third-place teams make the Round of 32 because of the expanded field. And I am now sitting here telling you about a draw the same way I’d describe a championship.

It is a wonderful story for a team that never would have had a chance to show their quality without the expanded World Cup field. Say what you will about the new format, but this and Qatar drawing Switzerland 1-1 have already shown that the larger field will not be the walk in the park elite teams thought it would be. Cape Verde was already playing with house money; now they’re just playing with the whole house. My vote? Bet it on yourself again. 

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