Cabo Verde finish Group H with 3 points, all from draws—0 wins, 0 losses—and advance to the Round of 32 as runners-up in their World Cup debut. According to Wikipedia, they are the first nation since Chile in 1998 to advance from the group stage without winning a match. They will face Argentina next.
Saudi Arabia needed a win and never came close to one. Center back Al-Tambakti came off at the 33rd minute—an early substitution in a must-win match that disrupted their defensive structure before the game was even half played. Al-Dawsari looked for openings in the second half but could not unlock Cabo Verde's back line. The Green Falcons had almost nothing in dangerous areas and never seriously tested Vozinha in a meaningful way.
Saudi Arabia exit with 2 points: a draw against Uruguay, a draw here, and a 4-0 loss to Spain sandwiched in between. They scored 1 goal across 3 matches and conceded 5. The must-win desperation that was supposed to raise their intensity ceiling did not translate into actual quality on the pitch. They are eliminated.
We called Cabo Verde on the moneyline—that missed. The draw was the one outcome we priced cheapest going in, and both teams delivered it. The total, though, hit as cleanly as it gets: 0 goals against a 2.5 line, and our bull case was right on both counts—Vozinha was legitimate in goal and Saudi never forced the kind of open game their must-win desperation was supposed to produce. Split on the night: 1 for 2 on picks. Cabo Verde advance to meet Argentina in the Round of 32 with 3 draws and still no wins. Saudi Arabia are done.
Argentina2-3
Saudi Arabia0-0
Uruguay2-2
Spain0-0Cape Verde0-0Spain0-4Uruguay1-1