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

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

Yes, actually, we felt that in the first two matches as well, whether against Uruguay or Spain, there were so many fans supporting us. The support came from many different people, many different countries. That's the beauty of football; it brings people closer together. I think this is also a characteristic of Cape Verdeans; we are very happy to welcome others and treat them as our own. So this is a very typical Cape Verdean way, and it makes us very proud.

Next Friday, you will face Argentina. What kind of match will that be?

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

In the coming days, we will shift our focus to Argentina. This will certainly be a special match and a special moment. But football is full of surprises, as you've seen—we drew with Spain and Uruguay. So anything can happen.

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

That's right. It was not easy for us to get here. Cape Verde has a population of only around 500,000 to 600,000 people, and although there are many Cape Verdeans abroad, we are truly a small nation. But we have strong hearts. I think we showed that on the pitch today, and in previous matches as well. We will continue to show this spirit.

How did you feel during those final moments waiting for the Uruguay vs. Spain result? What was your reaction when you saw the final score?

I almost cried at that moment; I was so excited. Everyone was waiting and praying for a favorable result for us. I think we completely deserved to advance to the next round because we gave everything. So overcoming the group stage is a reward for us. It was a very special moment—I've never experienced anything like that on the pitch. I hope to feel that again in the next match.

How did the final 10 minutes of regulation time play out? Especially when you didn't know the result of the other match or what result you needed—it must have been very tense.

It was truly very tense. But when you're in a match, you are completely focused on what's happening on the pitch. At that moment, I had only one thought in my head: we cannot lose, because if we do, everything is over. So we tried our best to keep a clean sheet. Of course, we also created some scoring chances, which is something we need to improve—we need to learn how to take our opportunities and finish the match. But the final result went in our favor, and we are very grateful.

Regarding Cape Verde's fairy tale story, some have compared it to Leicester City's miracle. Ranieri once said: "We made it to the Champions League, we were in the Premier League, we won the Premier League." Now you'll face Argentina, which will bring many emotional swings. What are your initial feelings?

We knew beforehand that we could face Argentina. Of course, we would have preferred to face a weaker opponent, but that's also part of the tournament. Our first goal was to participate in the FIFA World Cup, and our second goal was to advance from the group stage, and we've achieved both. So all of this is both an honor and a reward for us. We will view this match as an opportunity to continue making history and give everything we have. As for the result, we'll see after the match.

Just now, you went through a scene we've seen a few times—people gathered around a phone watching the final moments of another match. Even though it was only about a minute, can you describe how you felt at that moment? What were people's emotions like? How tense was it?

As I said, it was a very tense moment, really very tense. I almost cried; all the emotions just poured out. Everyone was watching that match, and all you can do is pray and wait. Finally, when the result was announced, the explosion of joy was something I've never experienced on the football pitch. I hope to feel that moment again when we face Argentina.

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