Cape Verde added another chapter to its World Cup story Monday as Sidny Lopes Cabral won the public vote for Goal of the Tournament.
His curling shot into the top corner against Argentina was one of the standout moments of the tournament where debutant Cape Verde stunned the football world. The goal equalized the match at 2-2 in extra time during their round-of-32 clash with defending champion Argentina in Miami Gardens. Cape Verde ultimately lost 3-2.
The strike was voted the best among 308 goals scored at the tournament by beating out Eldor Shomurodov's delicate lob for Uzbekistan and Wilson Isidor's powerful strike for Haiti. FIFA had shortlisted 12 goals for public voting closed Monday.
Lopes Cabral's celebration became just as memorable. Breaking away from teammates and he climbed into the stands to hug his girlfriend and find his mother. "Before the game, I'd told my mom and my girlfriend that if I scored, I'd run over to them" he said. "When I got there, I saw my mom crying. She hadn't even realized I was right there. Everyone was busy tending to her because she had fainted when I scored."
Cape Verde's fairytale run saw the team hold its own against both eventual finalists. Goalkeeper Vozinha's heroics helped the team open the tournament with a shock 0-0 draw against champion Spain.
