Cape Verde’s Sidny Lopes Cabral, celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Argentina during the World Cup round of 32 football match in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo)

Cape Verde added another chapter to its World Cup journey on Monday after Sidny Lopes Cabral won the public vote for the Goal of the Tournament.Lopes Cabral earned the honour for his curling strike into the top corner against Argentina during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The goal came in extra time of Cape Verde’s Round of 32 match in Miami Gardens, drawing his side level at 2-2 against the defending champions. Argentina, however, went on to win the match 3-2.The 2026 edition marked Cape Verde’s first appearance at the FIFA World Cup. The African side progressed from the group stage before exiting in the Round of 32 against Argentina.Lopes Cabral’s effort was voted the best among the 308 goals scored during the tournament. It finished ahead of Eldor Shomurodov’s lob for Uzbekistan against Congo and Wilson Isidor’s rising strike for Haiti against Morocco.FIFA shortlisted 12 goals for the public vote, which closed on Monday.Lopes Cabral’s celebration also became one of the memorable moments of the tournament. After scoring, he broke away from teammates, climbed into the stands to hug his girlfriend and then searched for his mother.“Before the game, I’d told my mom and my girlfriend that if I scored, I’d run over to them,” he said. “When I got there, I saw my mom crying. She hadn’t even realized I was right there. Everyone was busy tending to her because she had fainted when I scored.”Their campaign began with a 0-0 draw against eventual champions Spain, with goalkeeper Vozinha playing a key role in the result.