Cape Verde's pride to Portugal's Diogo Jota tribute: Poignant last-32 moments

[h2]Islanders' pride[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape Verde[/a]'s epic but ultimately fruitless struggle against reigning champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] will go down in World Cup history as the nation of just over 500,000 people almost felled mighty [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a].[/p][p]As the banner held up by one Cape Verde fan in Miami said: [b]"Small Island. Big Dreams. Refuse to Lose."[/b][/p][embed guid="882e6f54-b508-4603-88e3-f708d83ebdec" url="https://x.com/CAF_Online/status/2073206972409684294?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Big player, big hat[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a] scored [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/norway/8rP6JO0H/"]Norway[/a]'s winner against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ivory-coast/G2FRjBgn/"]Ivory Coast[/a] in Dallas and after the final whistle donned a big white Stetson.[/p][p]Judging by his social media, the 25-year-old has enjoyed every moment of his time in the United States - and with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] up next, he's not finished yet.[/p][embed guid="d1bb6377-53d5-4efd-b0b7-4a197f227046" url="https://x.com/ErlingHaaland/status/2072103862006079793?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Take Me Home[/h2][p]Once the United States had wrapped up a hard-fought 2-0 win against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia-Herzegovina[/a], John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" rang around Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. Team USA has its anthem...[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][h2]Teammates' tribute[/h2][p]On a sweltering night in Toronto, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ronaldo-cristiano/WGOY4FSt/"]Cristiano Ronaldo[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] saw off [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] in a World Cup classic to reach the last 16 and then paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward and Portugal player who died almost exactly a year earlier in a car crash.[/p][p]The date was [b]"a coincidence of life,"[/b] said Ronaldo, who held up Jota's number 21 jersey surrounded by his teammates.[/p][image alt="Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates pose with a shirt in memory of former player Diogo Jota" id="ba340c53-d67a-4e2f-b47f-c67b16d3015f" credit-line="REUTERS / Jeenah Moon" guid="c1d27ae7-d424-43e6-8c22-c4d01e36afb1" original-width="2473" original-height="1613" /][h2]Lukaku's revenge[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lukaku-romelu/dCkG0Iw0/"]Romelu Lukaku[/a] has been mocked online during this World Cup and even [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/belgium/GbB957na/"]Belgium[/a] coach Rudi Garcia admitted he was out of shape when he included him in the squad.[/p][p]But Lukaku's introduction from the bench against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/senegal/hOIsJLJr/"]Senegal[/a] proved a dramatic turning point - he scored his side's first goal as they roared back from 2-0 down to defeat Senegal 3-2 after extra-time in Seattle.[/p][embed guid="5d4f7d6e-be53-4644-be49-cc1973761ec4" url="https://x.com/statmusefc/status/2072438015595606515?s=20" social-type="twitter" /]