Cape Verde defender Sidny Cabral scores extra‑time equaliser vs Argentina and embraces girlfriend

Sidny Cabral Cape Verde World Cup extra‑time goal girlfriend embrace

In the round‑of‑16 match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cape Verde faced defending champions Argentina. The game went to extra time and ended 3‑2 to Argentina after a dramatic finish.

Sidny Lopes Cabral, a 23‑year‑old full‑back now playing for Turkey's Trabzonspor, scored a spectacular 103rd‑minute goal that tied the match. The strike, described as a candidate for the tournament’s “Goal of the Tournament,” was celebrated by fans worldwide.

Instead of celebrating on the pitch, Cabral sprinted onto the stands, found his girlfriend Jayley da Cruz, and embraced her in front of cameras and thousands of spectators. The romantic moment went viral, with the pair sharing a proud Instagram post and the clip becoming one of the World Cup’s most talked‑about scenes.

The goal and the subsequent embrace highlighted Cabral’s rise from lower‑division football in Germany to the world stage, after a previous spell with Benfica. Despite the eventual loss, Cape Verde earned widespread admiration for the performance and the heartfelt celebration.