PRAIA, Cape Verde (AP) 鈥� Fans in Cape Verde were celebrating late into the night after their historic that saw the country pulling off .
The tiny nation of half a million people made its first World Cup appearance on Monday, holding Spain scoreless in a 0-0 draw thanks to heroics from the team鈥檚 and a stubborn defense.
In the capital, Praia, fans crowded watch parties and major roads, singing and dancing as they celebrated what many thought had been unimaginable against Spain, heavily favored to win the game and a fair bet for the whole tournament.
Tears ran down faces as people hugged each other tightly and climbed poles to catch a glimpse of the spectacle across the city.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect us to be holding our own in such a highly contested and difficult match,鈥� William Gomes, a fan in Praia, said of their debut Monday. 鈥淭hanks to Vozinha鈥檚 performance, who is, for now, one of the best players on our team,鈥� he said of their veteran goalkeeper.
While Cape Verde didn鈥檛 win, its performance shocked many across the world and rebuked some of the criticisms that the expansion of the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 this year would weaken the tournament with less interesting fixtures.
The group of islands off Africa鈥檚 West coast with about 500,000 inhabitants is the third-smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup.
鈥淐ape Verde is only a small country, but today it feels great and important. I don鈥檛 even have enough words to express what we鈥檙e feeling. We Cape Verdeans are truly blessed,鈥� said Vladimir Garcia, a resident in Praia.
Ahead of the fixture, the government of Cape Verde declared a half-day off on Monday to enable people to support the national team.
鈥淚f today, 50 years later, we are at the World Cup, we have already proven that we are a viable nation,鈥� Cape Verde鈥檚 President Jos茅 Maria Neves said on social media, referring to when the country gained its independence from Portugal.
鈥淢ore than celebrating the past, we must reimagine the future and believe that it is possible to build, in all areas of our lives, over the next 50 years, a modern, prosperous country with opportunities for all,鈥� he added.
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