Kevin Pina Scores From Direct Free-Kick To Net Cape Verde's 1st-Ever Goal At FIFA World Cup | Watch

Published 21 June 2026 · sports

Kevin Pina Scores From Direct Free-Kick To Net Cape Verde's 1st-Ever Goal At FIFA World Cup | Watch Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026

Kevin Pina Scores From Direct Free-Kick To Net Cape Verde's 1st-Ever Goal At FIFA World Cup | Watch Published By, Last Updated: June 22, 2026, 04:23 IST The 29-year-old defensive midfielder netted a stunning direct free-kick in the 21st minute to give Cape Verde a shock lead against two-time champions Uruguay in Group H match. Kevin Pina celebrates after scoring Cape Verde's first-ever goal. (Picture Credit: AFP) Kevin Pina etched his name into the history books on Sunday (Monday IST) by scoring Cape Verde’s first-ever goal at the FIFA World Cup. The 29-year-old defensive midfielder netted a stunning direct free-kick in the 21st minute to give Cape Verde a shock lead against two-time champions Uruguay in their Group H match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Cape Verde played their first-ever FIFA World Cup match against Spain on June 15, 2026, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, but the contest ended in a goalless draw.

WHAT CONFIDENCE from Kevin Pina on this Cape Verde golazo 🇨🇻 pic.twitter.com/rGjU7c6VFj— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 21, 2026 🚨Goal of the tournamentCabo Verde scores 1-0 pic.twitter.com/LplxslGAs 🇵🇹 (@pabriantik) June 21, 2026 Simplesmente Kevin Pina fazendo o PRIMEIRO GOL da história de cabo verde em uma Copa do mundo!!!!!!!!!Uruguai TETRACAMPEAO da copa do mundo perdendo pra um estreante!! pic.twitter.com/odeFFpn1Nr — figueredo (@figueredoo21) June 21, 2026 In the build-up to the match against Uruguay, much of the attention was on 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who produced an outstanding performance against Spain. However, it is Kevin Pina who has now stolen the spotlight. Pina, who represents Krasnodar in the Russian Premier League, curled in a stunning free-kick from over 25 yards out, leaving Fernando Muslera with no chance and finding the back of the net. Muslera breaks Cavani’s record Muslera, who is the first Uruguayan player to feature in five editions of the FIFA World Cup, now holds the record for the most appearances for the two-time champions in the tournament’s history.

Uruguay’s Group H match against Cape Verde at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami is Muslera’s 18th FIFA World Cup appearance. He has now played one more World Cup match for Uruguay than former striker Edinson Cavani, who featured in the 2010, 2014 and 2018 editions of the tournament and made 17 appearances. Muslera and Cavani are followed by Diego Godin and Luis Suarez on the list of Uruguay players with the most FIFA World Cup appearances. Both Godin and Suarez played 16 matches in the competition. By making his 18th FIFA World Cup appearance, Muslera has also equalled Cláudio Taffarel’s record for the most World Cup matches played by a South American goalkeeper. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Harshit Bisht Senior Sub-editor Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist with CNN-News18 since July 1, 2024, and covers cricket with a sharp eye for records, trends, and match analysis.