Deroy Duarte, the Ludogorets Razgrad midfielder who was named man of the match, started for the first time in the tournament after coming off the bench against Spain and Uruguay, and could barely find the words after the final whistle.
"It's not comprehensible," Deroy said. "We just did it! That's incredible, isn't it? I've never felt anything like this and I hope I feel it again against Argentina. We are a small country but we have a big heart. We showed that on the pitch."
He reflected on the different challenge Saudi Arabia posed compared to their previous group opponents.
"Against Spain and Uruguay you have to play smarter and be well organised," he said. "Today we also showed that we can just play football and hurt opponents with the ball."
His brother Laros Duarte, the Puskás Akadémia midfielder, started the opener against Spain before being used from the bench. After helping contain Lamine Yamal in the group stage, he is already looking ahead to the prospect of facing Lionel Messi in the last 16.
"That will obviously be a very tough match, but it's also wonderful to play against the best player in the world," Laros said. "We will show our heart again."
Deroy acknowledged the magnitude of what Cabo Verde have achieved across the group stage.
"We have written history again and worked incredibly hard," he said. "The whole country is happy. We are getting videos from all over the world. It's beautiful to be able to share this with everyone."
Cabo Verde advance to face Argentina, knowing that the stature of their next opponents will do nothing to diminish the belief they have built across three group matches.