2026 FIFA World Cup — Group H, Matchday 2 | June 22 | Hard Rock Stadium, Miami

MIAMI — The 21st minute. A free-kick, 30 yards from goal. Kevin Pina stood over the ball. He took a breath. He ran up. He struck it.

The ball screamed over the Uruguayan wall and bent into the top corner. The net rippled. Pina turned and sprinted towards the corner flag, his teammates chasing him, the Cape Verde bench emptying onto the pitch.

It was Cape Verde’s first-ever World Cup goal. A nation of 600,000 people had arrived on football’s biggest stage.

The match ended 2-2. Cape Verde, the tournament’s smallest nation, now have two points from two matches — after holding Spain 0-0 and now Uruguay 2-2. Their fairytale continues.

Pina: The Goal That Changed Everything

Kevin Pina is 26 years old. He plays his club football in Saudi Arabia. Before this World Cup, his name meant nothing to most football fans. Now it is etched into Cape Verdean history forever.

The free-kick was struck with ferocious power and precision. Uruguay’s goalkeeper Fernando Muslera — a veteran of four World Cups — dived at full stretch. The ball was already past him. It was the first direct free-kick goal ever conceded by Uruguay in World Cup history.

Pina dropped to his knees after the final whistle, his face buried in his hands. His teammates surrounded him. Some were crying. Some were laughing. Some were just slapping his back, over and over.

Muslera: The Blunder

In the 61st minute, Uruguay were leading 2-1. They had overturned Cape Verde’s early lead with two goals in seven minutes either side of half-time. The three points seemed secure.

Then Fernando Muslera, 40 years old, 17 World Cup appearances, made a mistake that will haunt him.

A long ball from the Cape Verde defence. Nothing dangerous. Muslera came off his line. But he misjudged it. He came too early. He fumbled the ball. It fell to substitute Helio Varela, who rolled it into an empty net.

2-2.

Muslera knelt on the grass, hands on the ground, head bowed. None of his teammates approached him. They knew what this meant. Three points had become one.

According to statistics, Muslera is now the goalkeeper with the most errors leading to goals in World Cup history since records began in 1966.

Uruguay’s Fightback

Uruguay had responded to Pina’s goal like the two-time world champions they are. In the 44th minute, a cross from the right was headed against his own post by Cape Verde’s Cabral. Maximiliano Araujo was there to head in the rebound. 1-1.

In first-half stoppage time, Rodrigo Bentancur crossed from the right. Araujo headed it across goal. Agustin Canobbio arrived to sweep it home. 2-1.

Seven minutes. From 1-0 down to 2-1 up. Araujo had scored in consecutive matches. Canobbio had his first World Cup goal. Uruguay were cruising.

Then Muslera made his mistake.

Group H Standings

Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Spain 2 1 1 0 4 0 +4 4
2 Uruguay 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 2
3 Cape Verde 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 2
4 Saudi Arabia 2 0 1 1 1 5 -4 1

Match Details:

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