ROBERTO ‘PICO’ LOPES just made it through passport control at Dublin airport when he took the The 42′s call on Wednesday afternoon.

The Dubliner had his football boots safely in a carry-on bag but was now waiting by the luggage belt for the rest of his gear.

It was a long night of travelling for Shamrock Rovers’ Cape Verde international after Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Cameroon in World Cup qualifying kept them top of their group. It means that Cape Verde, which is made up of 10 islands and has a population of less than 600,000, needs just one win from their remaining games away to Libya and at home to Eswatini to secure an automatic place at USA/Canada/Mexico next summer.

“It feels incredible, the job is not done but everyone felt the significance of the game and it keeps things in our own hands,” Lopes said.

He was not fully able to embrace the wild celebrations that followed. It took the guts of two hours for players to be able to make their way out of the 15,000-capacity Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, fans invaded the pitch at full-time and thousands more lined the streets outside with cars abandoned along roads.

Lopes had a midnight flight to catch from the capital, Praia, to Lisbon for his usual connecting flight home to Dublin. It’s a journey the Crumlin native – whose father Carlos came here from Cape Verde in the mid 1980s – has become used to over the last seven years since answering a message on LinkedIn from then manager Rui Águas.

A delay in Portugal meant it was lunchtime before he arrived home in Dublin, with plans to go for dinner with his Dad at the family home just off the Long Mile Road.

“He’s just so proud, I spoke to him after the game and he was buzzing, really happy. Some of his friends were at the game. We still have a job to do but we had so much belief that we could aim for the World Cup, as a group of players we’ve experienced so much and got stronger together,” Lopes said.

Cape Verde came close to reaching the Qatar show piece in 2022, only to miss out by two points behind Nigeria, and qualifying for the World Cup in the United States would also feel more emotional for Cape Verdeans given the vast number of people who have left the islands for that country over generations. “I think there are more people from Cape Verde in Boston than there are still in Cape Verde,” Lopes said.

Indeed, they would become the second smallest country after Iceland (population 400,000) to qualify, and this special time for football in the country comes after authorities had to declare a state of emergency last month. Deadly floods on the islands of São Vicente and Santo Antão resulted in nine people losing their lives and over 1,500 forced from their homes.

“You could feel it, the people came out and they needed something to help them and try and really get behind,” Lopes said.

As the country tries to return to normal life, the decision was made ahead of the home game with Cameroon to allow a national half-day so as many people could make it to the national stadium in Praia.

Schools and businesses closed at midday to allow enough time for those to make kick-off. “I have never seen a crowd like it. Usually we have one stand full but the place was packed, the atmosphere was incredible,” Lopes said.

Now 33, Lopes was part of the Cape Verde side at the 2021 African Cup of Nations and will embark on his third Uefa Conference League campaign as skipper of Rovers from next month. With the Hoops also nine points clear at the top of the Premier Division, Lopes looks set to lift his fifth title in six years at Tallaght Stadium.

They also have a FAI Cup quarter final away to Drogheda United tomorrow, and Lopes is keen for his seasons to continue blending into one as his career veers towards new heights.

“People say you slow down when you get older but you just have to make sure you take better care of yourself. When there are carrots like these in front of you, you have to do everything you can to make the most of it.”