Cape Verde demonstrated that small can still be big in the unforgiving environment of elite sport.In a group led by tournament favourites Spain and two-time former winners Uruguay, the unfancied debutants held a listless Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw at Houston Stadium in some take-off for the African side (AP)Scripting one of the great underdog stories in sporting history, the second-smallest nation in the World Cup – a group of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the African coast with a population of around 500,000 – qualified for the Round of 32, that too unbeaten.Cape Verde became the smallest nation to qualify for the World Cup’s knockout rounds.In a group led by tournament favourites Spain and two-time former winners Uruguay, the unfancied debutants held a listless Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw at Houston Stadium in some take-off for the African side.Having grabbed global headlines by holding Spain to a goalless draw in the first Group H contest, Cape Verde made their own luck by holding Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. It left them a draw away from going through, as Uruguay faced the near-impossible task of having to beat Spain in their final group game, played simultaneously at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico.Cape Verde all but sealed qualification with just three points (three draws), and second spot in the table was confirmed when Spain completed a 1-0 win over Uruguay a few minutes later.In Houston, the islanders held firm for the vital point despite Willy Semedo missing a few open chances in the second half, looking the better side during the five minutes of added time. Only four teams have qualified for the World Cup knockout rounds in the past with three draws -- Wales (1958), Ireland and the Netherlands (1990), and Chile (1998). But three points are no guarantee, as New Zealand found out in 2010 when they were eliminated after three draws.Spain led through an Alex Baena goal, and the Cape Verde players waited with bated breath on the pitch, their mobile phones out, as they anxiously hoped that Uruguay would not score a late equaliser and spoil their chances. Two minutes later, as the final whistle was blown across the border, the Cape Verde dugout and thousands of their blue-clad fans in the stands – with many neutrals cheering them on – erupted in celebration.Saudi Arabia, on two points, needed a victory to progress as Uruguay were losing – Spain topped Group H with seven points – but did not create enough chances and were always second best to an enterprising Cape Verde side.The reward for Cape Verde’s qualification could be a Round of 32 meeting with defending champions Argentina. It will be played in Miami on July 3.Vozinha heroicsOne of Cape Verde’s heroes is their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, whose string of saves to keep out the Spanish attacks made him a household name around the world. The tears shed by him after the match because his mother could not be at the game as she was unable to get a visa led to quick action, and the US government stepped in to ensure she was granted a visa to attend the next game against Uruguay.One of only eight players aged 40 or over at the World Cup, and the oldest debutant in the global tournament, Vozinha has, with each save, helped FIFA defend the expansion of the field from 32 to 48 nations from this edition.As the final whistle blew at Houston Stadium, Ana Candida Evora was in the stands, while the rest of the stadium, awash in blue, sang and swayed.Messi and Argentina may be too big a hurdle to surmount, but Cape Verde can party for now over a sensational job done.