Benni McCarthy thrilled with Blue Sharks: "They've won a lot of people's hearts"

The meteoric rise in the number of Instagram followers of Cape Verde's goalkeeper Vozinha, which rose from 40,000 before the opening World Cup game against Spain to more than 15,000,000 at the moment, perfectly encapsulates how the Blue Sharks captured everyone's attention.

After a sensational 0-0 draw against Spain in their first-ever World Cup game, Cape Verde won another point against favourites and two-time winners Uruguay (2-2), and are in contention for the Round of 32. For a population of under 525,000 people spread across 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago, that would be not just a dream come true, but much more than that.

Dark horses strike again as Cape Verde frustrate Uruguay

At the moment, they're third in Group H, level with Uruguay on two points. They will face Saudi Arabia on Saturday in their final group-stage game (3 am). A victory against Saudis will be enough for them to seal progression.

Even a draw could be enough in theory, as eight of the 12 best third-placed teams will also qualify for the last 32.

"I think this performance (against Uruguay) gets them a win against Saudi Arabia," Harambee Stars' coach Benni McCarthy said as a pundit on BBC One.

McCarthy expected them to lose against Marcelo Bielsa's side, but instead, Cape Verde proved they're one of the most amazing stories of this World Cup.

"I have a new lease of respect for them," added McCarthy. "They really came out to play. They were sensational. I thought they were brave.

"The only thing that's needed is working on their final-third entry, that composure, working on those decisions in the final moment of the game. I think they've won a lot of people's hearts after this performance."

Interestingly, only Nigeria (74th in 1998) and Russia (70th in 2018) are teams that previously progressed to the knockout stage and were ranked lower than Cape Verde currently are (63rd).

They've shown us nothing is impossible: Cabo Verde are at World Cup!

WORLD CUP - GROUP STAGE (ROUND 3)

Group H

Saturday

03.00: (2.45) Cape Verde (3.30) Saudi Arabia (2.90)

03.00: (7.00) Uruguay (4.20) Spain (1.55)

***odds are subject to change***