World Cup punter lands staggering £3.2million as Spain fail to beat Cape Verde
One brazen punter pocketed a staggering £3.2million after lumping on Cape Verde to stun the football world and not to be beaten by World Cup favourites Spain
Cape Verde pulled off a huge shock against Spain in the World Cup. (Image: Grzegorz Wajda/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Image)
One brazen punter landed an eye-watering £3.2million after lumping on Cape Verde to produce one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
The country made up of ten islands off the African coast in the Atlantic Ocean took on the reigning European champions in a game that looked to be a matter of how many Spain would score. Instead, the 64th-ranked team held Lamine Yamal and co to a goalless draw.
Cape Verde were making their World Cup debut but had earned the support of one rich punter who put down $427,952 (£320k) on Cape Verde to avoid defeat against their star-studded opponents at nine per cent odds, roughly 10-1.
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
Polymarket confirmed after the match that the punter had cashed out a staggering $4,702,769.23 (£3.5m).
Cape Verde’s draw has been celebrated around the globe as what the World Cup is all about, as the tiny nation achieved the seemingly impossible.
Spain had 27 shots in the match with seven on target at an expected goals of 2.29 while dominating 74 per cent of the ball. Meanwhile, Cape Verde had an XG of 0.29 from six shots, including one on target.
A big hand goes to their goalkeeper Vozinha, who at the age of 40, pulled off seven saves to keep a clean sheet. Vozinha’s heroics have seen him gain millions of followers on Instagram. Before kick-off, the Chaves goalkeeper had just 50,000 followers on the social media platform, he now has 5.8m at the time of writing.
After the game, he said: “I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago.
“My mum could not be here either for a VISA issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
The Blue Sharks are right in contention to secure qualification to the knockout stages and could reach the last 32 even if they finish 3rd as one of the best placed teams.
Group H also saw Saudi Arabia hold Uruguay to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
