Vozinha Makes 8 Saves in 3-2 Loss to Argentina, Denying Messi 4 Times

Q: As Messi ties the all-time scoring record, can a 40-year-old keeper from the World Cup's smallest nation end his historic quest?

Yes — at least for now, Vozinha has shown he can delay Messi’s chase. The 40-year-old Cape Verde goalkeeper made the defining intervention of the Round of 32 match in Miami, reacting quickly to Messi’s 72nd-minute free kick and preserving a 1-1 score with his fourth save of the game. That matters because Messi entered the match level with Miroslav Klose on the all-time World Cup scoring list, and every chance now carries historic weight. Vozinha is not an unlikely one-moment story. He has been one of the standout goalkeepers of the tournament, keeping a clean sheet against Spain on Cape Verde’s World Cup debut and stopping seven shots in that match. His age is notable, but for goalkeepers it can also mean experience, positioning and composure — all of which were evident against Messi. Cape Verde’s broader run gives the save even more significance. The Blue Sharks are the smallest nation ever to reach the men’s World Cup knockout stage, and they arrived unbeaten from the group phase. Holding Argentina level deep into the second half showed this is not merely a sentimental underdog story. Messi’s quest is far from over; one save does not stop a player of his quality from breaking the record later in this match or later in the tournament. But Vozinha has already proved that even football’s biggest milestone can be interrupted by a veteran goalkeeper from its smallest World Cup nation.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 4

Eight saves from Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha kept Argentina from a rout, but the defending champions still escaped with a 3-2 extra-time win in the World Cup round of 32.
Four of those stops came against Lionel Messi, including a 73rd-minute free-kick save and another in stoppage time that helped force extra time.
Argentina finally beat Vozinha twice in extra time, ending Cape Verde's bid for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Vozinha's tournament rise kept accelerating off the field as well: his Instagram following climbed from 50,000 before the World Cup to 18.4 million after Friday's match.