Cape Verde added another chapter to their World Cup journey on Monday after Sidny Lopes Cabral won the public vote for Goal of the Tournament.Lopes Cabral won the honor for his curling strike into the top corner against Argentina during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The goal came in extra time of Cape Verde’s Round of 32 match at Miami Gardens, pulling it level at 2-2 against the defending champions. Argentina, however, won the match 3-2.The 2026 edition marked Cape Verde’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup. The African side advanced from the group stage before going out in the Round of 32 against Argentina.Lopes Cabral’s effort was voted the best among the 308 goals scored during the tournament. It finished ahead of Eldor Shomurodov’s lob for Uzbekistan against Congo and Wilson Isidor’s soaring strike for Haiti against Morocco.FIFA shortlisted 12 goals for the public vote, which closed on Monday.Lopes Cabral’s celebration also became one of the memorable moments of the tournament. After scoring, he walked away from his teammates, climbed into the stands to hug his girlfriend and then looked for his mother.“Before the game, I told my mom and my girlfriend that if I score, I’m going to run to them,” he said. “When I arrived, I saw my mother crying. She didn’t even realize I was right there. Everyone was busy taking care of her because she passed out when I scored.”Their campaign began with a 0-0 draw against eventual champions Spain, with goalkeeper Vozinha playing a key role in the result.
