Pico Lopes back to work after Cape Verde's historic World Cup exit

Argentina pushed to the limit

Your team went out swinging. Argentina 3–2 Cape Verde after extra time in the World Cup round of 32, and the defending champions knew they were in a fight (1) (2). Cape Verde took one of the best sides on the planet to the brink, and nobody saw it coming except maybe the squad itself.

The Spain result that started it all

This run did not come from nowhere. Cape Verde 0–0 Spain in the group stage was the first World Cup point in the nation's history (1). Against a finalist. Vozinha and Roberto 'Pico' Lopes anchored a defence that Spain could not crack. That result set the tone for everything that followed.

Pico Lopes, straight back to business

Two days after pushing Argentina to extra time, Pico Lopes captained Shamrock Rovers to a 5–1 win over Floriana in the Champions League first qualifying round on Tuesday (2). The aggregate score finished 5–3 after Rovers lost the first leg 2–0 in Malta. No League of Ireland team had ever overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit in a European tie before (2).