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Sidney Lopes Cabral celebrated his team's second goal -Credit:Getty Images
Cape Verde star Sidney Lopes Cabral netted arguably the goal of the World Cup when his extra-time strike from the edge of the penalty area curled past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to tie the Round of 32 clash at 2-2 in the 103rd minute.
The Cape Verde national side, which came in as heavy underdogs, was within 20 minutes of a penalty shootout against Argentina, the defending World Cup champions. The match was played under the watchful eye of a massive TikTok-famous dog in the stands.
Lopes Cabral's World Cup celebration revealed what the moment meant to him: the 23-year-old broke away from a swarm of teammates to rush into the stands and celebrate with his family. In total, his celebration lasted several minutes but he managed to avoid receiving a card.
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The International Football Association Board (IFAB) clearly states that any form of "excessively" celebrating a goal warrants a yellow card.
"Excessively celebrates a goal, e.g., by taking off their shirt, jumping onto a fence, going into the crowd, mocking opponents, wearing a mask or covering their face with their shirt," the law reads for what constitutes a card.
Lopes Cabral persevered but was helpless when Argentina center-back Christian Romero's 111th-minute header deflected off Diney Borges of Cape Verde for the decisive goal. Nevertheless, Lopes Cabral's strike seized the spotlight.
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Cabral did his team proud -Credit:Getty Images
He's among the more prominent figures in his national squad, having represented Benfica in the Primera League last season before securing a €10 million ($11.44 million) transfer to Trabzonspor.
"Sidny Lopes Cabral, what a goal," BBC announcer Aly McCoist said on the call. "Oh wow, he opens his body up and smashes it into the top corner, honestly. That was a different class."
Cape Verde's remarkable World Cup journey, which also included draws against Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia, has now officially concluded. Former England striker Ian Wright described the team's performance as a "Herculean" effort.
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Cape Verde played exceptionally well against Argentina -Credit:Getty Images
"That's what you're ideally hoping will happen around the world and this is why Fifa have to do so much to make sure the funds they get do reach everybody," Wright said on ITV.
"What this does show people is that when you give people the opportunity, they can get onto the biggest stage, no matter how small they are, and they can have it with the world champions, with one of the greatest players in the world. It was a Herculean effort from them, absolutely."
Argentina will meet Egypt, the victors over Australia in penalties earlier on Friday, in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
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