Kevin Pina made Cape Verde history, netting their first-ever World Cup goal as they came from behind to stun Uruguay 2-2 at Miami Stadium.

Having drawn with Spain last time out, Cape Verde followed it up with another superb result, with Helio Varela snatching a point after Maxi Araujo had starred to put Uruguay in control.

Uruguay made a bright start with Federico Valverde almost finishing off a swift counter-attack with a goal, but he drilled his shot from the left of the box wide of the far post.

They then found themselves behind for the second straight game. Rodrigo Bentancur brought down Telmo Arcanjo, and Pina drilled a wonderful free-kick through the Uruguay wall – from 32 metres – to pick out the bottom-right corner.

Valverde volleyed over as Uruguay attempted to fight back, which started with a 44th-minute equaliser. Sidny Cabral's attempted clearance struck the inside of his own post, leaving Vozinha stranded, and Araujo stooped to send his diving header into the empty net.

And Uruguay flipped the script in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time. Araujo cushioned Manuel Ugarte's floated cross for Canobbio to tuck past Vozinha first time.

Cape Verde kept themselves in the game and got their reward just after the hour. Mathias Olivera's loose volleyed pass drew Fernando Muslera out of his box, and Varela latched onto the ball, rounded the stranded goalkeeper and fired into the gaping goal.

Jamiro Monteiro could have given them another shock lead moments later, but his dipping strike rippled the roof of the net, much to Muslera's relief.

Uruguay were then denied a third goal by the offside flag 68 minutes in; a corner was recycled, with Ugarte helping it towards goal, and Araujo bundled it home, but Juan Manuel Sanabria had been caught past the last man in the build-up.

Valverde saw a free-kick fly over the bar, and Canobbio blazed a late chance into the stands, before Laros Duarte drilled straight at Muslera, and the points were split in an entertaining draw in Group H.

The underdogs strike again

Cape Verde pulled off one of the shocks of the tournament so far when they held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw, but they upped their level once more against Uruguay.

Pina made history with an excellent strike – though Marcelo Bielsa would not have been impressed by his wall – and Cape Verde became the first team on record (since 1966) to score their first-ever World Cup goal from a direct free-kick.

Araujo was Uruguay's saviour in their opener, and he popped up with more vital interventions thanks to a goal and an assist. He is the first player to score in his nation's opening two matches at a single World Cup since Oscar Miguez in 1954.

But this time, it was not Araujo who had the final say. Varela scored the fastest goal by an African substitute in a World Cup match (02:16) since Roger Milla netted for Cameroon against Russia in 1994 (01:24).

Uruguay pushed with all they had, registering 17 shots worth 2.34 expected goals (xG), though only two were on target. Cape Verde got four of their 12 attempts on target, despite an xG of just 0.86, but they showed absolutely no fear against the two-time world champions.

And Cape Verde still have a good chance of reaching the round of 32, as they sit third, level on two points with second-place Uruguay. The debutants face Saudi Arabia in their final group game and will feel confident of making more history. Next up for Uruguay is Spain.