Cape Verde drew 0-0 with Saudi Arabia in their final FIFA World Cup group stage match. Midfielder Duarte was interviewed afterward in the FIFA mixed zone.

Congratulations on a historic night. Before the match, did you expect so many Cape Verdean fans to come to Houston to cheer for you?

Yes, we already felt it in the first two games, against Uruguay and Spain—there were a lot of fans supporting us, and this support came from different people, different countries. That's the beauty of football; it brings people closer together. I think this is also characteristic of Cape Verdeans; we are happy to accept others and willing to treat them as our own. So this is a very typical Cape Verdean way, and it also makes us very proud.

You will play against Argentina next. What kind of match will that be?

I grew up watching the Argentina team play on TV, so for me, this is like a dream come true. They have great players like Messi and many other excellent players. For us, the first thing is to enjoy this moment and celebrate tonight.

In the next few days, we will shift our focus to Argentina. This will undoubtedly be a special match and a special moment. But football is full of uncertainties, as you've seen—we drew against both Spain and Uruguay. So anything is possible.

How would you describe your achievement? Qualifying for the knockout stage in your first FIFA World Cup appearance—the last team to do so was Slovakia in 2010. This has been a long journey for you. How would you summarize it?

Indeed, it was not easy for us to get here. Cape Verde has a population of only about five to six hundred thousand. Although there are many Cape Verdeans overseas, we are indeed a small country. But we have a strong heart. I think we showed that on the field today and in the previous matches as well. Next, we will continue to show this spirit.

What did you feel during those final minutes waiting for the results of the Uruguay and Spain matches? What was your reaction when you saw the final score?

I almost cried then. I was really emotional. Everyone was waiting and praying for a favorable result for us. I think we fully deserved to qualify because we gave it our all. So qualifying is a reward for us. That was a very special moment—I have never experienced anything like it on the field. I hope to feel this way again in the next match.

What was it like during the last 10 minutes of regular time? Especially without knowing the result of the other match or what result you needed, it looked very tense.

It was indeed very tense. But when you are in the game, you are completely focused on what is happening on the field. At that time, I had only one thought in my mind: we couldn't lose, because if we did, it would be over. So we fought with all our might to keep a clean sheet. Of course, we also created some scoring opportunities, which is where we need to improve—to learn to seize opportunities and finish games. But the final result was favorable to us, and we are very grateful.

Regarding this fairy tale of Cape Verde, some have compared it to the Leicester City miracle. Ranieri once said: "We got into the Champions League, we are in the Premier League, we won the Premier League." Now you will play against Argentina, which will bring a lot of emotional intensity. What was your initial feeling?

We knew beforehand that we might play against Argentina. Of course, we would prefer to play against a less formidable opponent, but that's part of the game. Our first goal was to make it to the FIFA World Cup, and our second goal was to get out of the group—we achieved both. So all of this is both an honor and a reward for us. We will treat this match as an opportunity to continue making history and give our all, and as for the result, we will see after the match.

You just experienced a scene we've seen several times: everyone gathered around a mobile phone watching the final stages of another match. Although it was only about a minute, can you describe how it felt? How were everyone's emotions? How tense was it?

As I said before, it was a very tense moment—really very tense. I almost cried; all the emotions flooded in at once. Everyone was staring at that game, and all you could do was pray and wait. Finally, when the result came out, the explosion of joy was something I had never experienced on the field. I hope to feel that moment again against Argentina.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com