The Cape Verde national football team were given a heroes' welcome by thousands of fans when they returned home on Sunday after a fairytale run at the World Cup ‌that ended in a 3-2 defeat by Argentina in the round of 32.

With a population of little more than 500,000 people, the country became the smallest to reach the World Cup knockout stage.

At the airport, goalkeeper Vozinha and coach Bubista thanked Chinese fans for their support.