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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Phil Blanche

FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Roberto lopes savours week to remember after reaching world cup with cape verde - The Untold Story

Cape Verde fans celebrate beating Eswatini to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Cristiano Barbosa/AP) - (AP)

Cape Verde’s Dublin-born Roberto Lopes described the “surreal” feeling of reaching the World Cup as he headed home to Ireland to become a father for the first time.

Shamrock Rovers defender Lopes helped Cape Verde – an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean off Africa’s west coast, with a population of just under 525,000 – became the second-smallest nation to reach the World Cup after beating Eswatini 3-0 at home on Monday.

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