Video: Rotterdam celebrates after Cape Verde plays Uruguay to 2-2 World Cup draw

Hundreds of fans gathered in Rotterdam early Monday to celebrate Cape Verde’s 2-2 draw with Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup, turning a local viewing event into an emotional overnight celebration after the team scored its first-ever World Cup goal.

About 550 supporters from the Cape Verdean community watched the match at Villa Thalia in Rotterdam, where celebrations erupted around 12:22 a.m. local time after Kevin Pina scored to give Cape Verde a 1-0 lead. The goal was the country’s first in World Cup history.

Cape Verde, making its World Cup debut, has five players born in Rotterdam and six players born in the Netherlands. The team had opened the tournament with a 0-0 draw against Spain.

Uruguay, a two-time World Cup champion (1930 and 1950), responded with a rebound goal to equalize at 1-1 and then scored again shortly afterward to take a 2-1 lead.

In the second half, substitute Hélio Varela beat the goalkeeper with a shot to level the match at 2-2, which stood as the final score.

Organizers of the Rotterdam viewing event said the atmosphere was highly emotional throughout the night. One organizer, Jorge Da Veiga, called it “a fantastic evening for Cape Verde” and described the country’s first World Cup appearance as “a historic moment.”

He said attendees arrived well before kickoff and followed the match on a large screen. “People are proud that Cape Verde did so well against Uruguay, which has been world champion twice. Two beautiful goals, really impressive for such a small country,” he said.

Cape Verde’s draw keeps its hopes of advancing to the next round alive. The team plays its final group match against Saudi Arabia at 2 a.m. Dutch time in Houston.