Vozinha was born in Mindelo, Cape Verde — an Atlantic archipelago 373 miles off the coast of West Africa, home to about 529,600 people. As a child he was too small to be picked for goalkeeper trials despite being, by his own account, the best keeper on his island. His father wanted to name him Valdano, after Argentine striker Jorge Valdano of Real Madrid — but the authorities wouldn't allow it. So he became Vozinha — Little Granny.

In 2007, Vozinha turned professional for Batuque FC in Cape Verde. The same year, a baby named Lamine Yamal was born in Spain — the teenager who would come off the bench trying to score against Vozinha 19 years later and fail. After Batuque, his wandering career took him across four continents: Angola → Moldova (Zimbru) → Portugal (Gil Vicente) → Cyprus (AEL Limassol, 2018-19 Cypriot Cup) → Slovakia (AS Trencin). He has been Cape Verde's first-choice goalkeeper since 2012, with 91 appearances, and helped qualify them for this World Cup.

After the Spain match, when he broke down in tears, Vozinha revealed his mum couldn't make it to the United States because of a visa difficulty. "The money for the visa, we didn't manage on time, and I would like her to be here." The US State Department later said they had no record of her ever applying for a visa, but that they were working to resolve the situation with Cape Verde authorities. The moment perfectly encapsulated the extraordinary human story at the heart of Cape Verde's World Cup.

Cape Verde (529,600 people) is the third-smallest nation by population ever to qualify for a World Cup. Vozinha became the oldest player to compete in a nation's World Cup debut and the third-oldest goalkeeper ever to post a World Cup clean sheet. He did it against Spain, one of the tournament favourites, who hadn't expected to be held for 90 seconds let alone 90 minutes.

Spain are top-3 WC favourites playing a patient, possession-based style. Their 27 shots generated only 7 on target — a low conversion rate — because they probed rather than shooting directly. Vozinha faced every ball that came on target and stopped every one.

Uruguay's style is fundamentally different from Spain's. Where Spain probe and pass, Uruguay shoot. They had 10 shots on target against Saudi Arabia — roughly 43% of their 22 second-half shots were on target. Saudi Arabia's goalkeeper Al Owais made 9 saves in that match. That is the benchmark for what Vozinha is likely to face tonight.

Cape Verde conceded an xG of 2.19 against Spain — the highest of any team in the opening round. Uruguay created 1.72 xG against Saudi Arabia even in a first half where they were underwhelming. Uruguay's more direct style is likely to generate higher individual shot quality tonight, even if volume is similar to Spain's 27.

Spain played a technical, patient build-up game that required Vozinha to react to well-crafted moves from experienced international players. Uruguay play a far more direct, physical style — long balls, set pieces (14 corners vs Saudi Arabia), and physical runners in the box. High-cross situations and shots from range are actually easier for a goalkeeper with Vozinha's reflexes and positional play to read than Pedri threading passes through a block.

Vozinha is 40 and has just played one of the most emotionally and physically demanding 90 minutes of any goalkeeper's career. The fame, the 14 million followers, his mum's visa story — is an enormous psychological load to carry. And Uruguay are bigger, more direct, and more dominant in the air than Spain. Bielsa will use the 14 corners they earned against Saudi Arabia as a template. An aerial weakness could be exploited in a way Spain's passing game never was.

Vozinha will make saves tonight — probably 5-7 of them — but Uruguay will eventually score. The Cinderella story continues, but the clock is ticking on the fairytale. Bet on the saves, root for the goalkeeper, and hope Grandma keeps surprising us. CBS: "We can certainly expect a similar approach from Cape Verde — Vozinha is likely to face an onslaught." Our prediction: 5-7 saves. Back 4+ at +100 and 5+ at ~+240.