Beach and Vozinha: Two unknown goalkeepers who were ley to major World Cup upsets

A week ago, 99.9% of the world had no idea who Patrick Beach or Vozinha were. After the opening stages of the 2026 World Cup, however, both the young Aussie goalkeeper and the veteran Cape Verdean goalkeeper have become the key figures in explaining two of the World Cup’s biggest surprises: Australia’s victory over Turkey and the 0-0 draw between the African team and favorite Spain.

These are success stories from two antipodes. In the case of the Australian goalkeeper, his starting role against Turkey sparked a national uproar. It marked the major tournament debut of a 22-year-old with no international experience beyond two friendly matches, and it also left the team’s captain on the bench.

Vozinha, on the other hand, is a 40-year-old veteran and one of Cape Verde’s leading players. In fact, he plays in the Portuguese Second Division, one of the highlights of this surprising African team.

Beach, MVP of the Australia-Turkey match

The first to come into the public eye was Beach. The young Australian became a veritable wall, much to the frustration of Güler and company, who could very well have won the match by a landslide had it not been for the goalkeeper’s impressive performance, which earned him the title of best player of the match. In fact, he topped the rankings of journalists covering the World Cup.

The 6-foot-2 goalkeeper, who plays for Melbourne City (part of the group that controls Manchester City), made as many as eight saves during the match—several of them truly remarkable—to keep a clean sheet and ensure that his teammates’ two goals earned three invaluable points for the Australian team.

Vozinha did the opposite of what was expected against Spain

Vozinha fulfilled his role with flying colors by making numerous saves, although he did exactly the opposite of what was expected: instead of repeatedly pulling the ball out of the net, he became a wall against which the Spanish forwards’ best chances crashed. He didn’t have to work as hard as Beach, but on at least two occasions his hands prevented goals that the Spanish fans were already celebrating.

His career path is also the opposite of Beach’s. In his case, he didn’t begin to stand out until he was 25, an age the Australian hasn’t even reached yet. To advance his career, he had to leave his native archipelago for lower-tier leagues in Angola, Moldova, Portugal, Cyprus and Slovakia. In fact, he is currently without a team after his contract expired on June 1. He is a beloved and respected player in his country, with 89 international appearances.