How did Cape Verde achieve their historic World Cup knockout stage debut?

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Cape Verde reached the World Cup knockout stage by earning results in the group stage and finishing with enough merit to advance.

Cape Verde progressed to the last 32 in their first ever World Cup after drawing with Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde in the group stage. Head coach Bubista said the team were calm because they had “earned our place here on merit,” and said they would face Argentina and Lionel Messi without fear.
Their debut run ended with a place in the last 32
Cape Verde, an African archipelago of just over 500,000 people, moved into the knockout rounds at their maiden World Cup. That made the Argentina tie a last 32 match and turned it into what Bubista called “the match of our lives.”
The group-stage results were enough to send them through
The team’s path included draws against Spain and Uruguay, alongside the result listed in the group stage. Those outcomes were enough for Cape Verde to progress beyond the group phase, even though the exact standings were not detailed.
Bubista said the team believed they belonged there
Bubista’s message before the match was that Cape Verde were calm and not intimidated by Argentina, who are among the favourites to retain the title. He said there was “nothing to fear or worry too much about” because the side had earned its place on merit.
Argentina and Messi now stand in their way
Argentina arrived after three dominant group-stage wins, with Messi scoring six times, and were described as the world’s top-ranked side. Bubista still said Cape Verde’s only thought was to try to advance past the round.

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How did Cape Verde achieve their historic World Cup knockout stage debut?

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