Cape Verde manager Bubista has criticised Uruguay's lack of sportsmanship during a controversial moment in their World Cup group-stage match on Sunday night in Miami. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, but the incident that sparked the row occurred in the closing stages of the first half.
Controversial equaliser
Uruguay's Federico Vinas was initially helping Cape Verde's Telmo Arcanjo, who was suffering from cramp. However, Vinas stopped assisting the opponent to join a Uruguay counter-attack, which led to Maximiliano Araujo's equaliser in the final minutes of the first half. Cape Verde had taken the lead through Kevin Pina, but Uruguay responded with Araujo's goal and then took the lead through Agustin Canobbio in stoppage time. Substitute Helio Varela later equalised for Cape Verde, securing their second point of the tournament.
Bubista's reaction
Bubista expressed his frustration with the incident, particularly given the reputation of Uruguay's manager, Marcelo Bielsa. "I was upset by that, because Bielsa taught us to have fair play," Bubista told reporters. "That's in his press conferences, that's in the matches that his teams play. We learned what fair play was from his attitude."
He acknowledged that Cape Verde could have prevented the situation by kicking the ball out of play, but said they are trying to do things their own way. "It's also natural that players will sometimes feel pressured and we can say that about the Uruguay team as well. We can only grow from what happened," he added.
Group H standings
The final round of matches in Group H will see Uruguay face Spain, while Cape Verde take on Saudi Arabia. Spain currently top the group with four points, two ahead of second-placed Uruguay. Cape Verde have two points, giving them a chance of reaching the knockout stages.
