Cape Verdean goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha, made his debut this Sunday as a Colo Colo player in a match for the Chilean league. The footballer, the top figure of his national team in the 2026 World Cup, was a starter in the 0-0 draw of the albo team against Huachipato at the Ester Roa stadium in Concepción, in southern Chile. The goalkeeper’s performance received multiple comments from fans, especially due to a mistake when trying to catch a ball that almost cost his team dearly, but fortunately did not end in a goal for the opponent.
Vozinha had already played as a starter for Colo Colo in a Copa Chile match against Unión Española on August 26, which ended in a 3-0 victory for his team. Only his debut in the national championship was pending, which had been postponed because coach Fernando Ortiz had prioritized the young Gabriel Maureira for the position. For this date, the head coach decided to make a rotation to activate competition among the goalkeepers.
The African player’s debut match was intense and with little clarity for attacking opportunities. Colo Colo was the protagonist and made more attacking plays, while Huachipato had few chances to score. The presence of the World Cup player might have gone almost unnoticed on the field, but a specific action put him in the spotlight of opinions. Shortly before the end of the first half, the goalkeeper tried to catch a cross executed by an opponent, but the ball slipped from his hands. Fortunately for the player and his teammates, the referee had invalidated the play due to an offside position.
Vozinha’s doubts
But the play was invalidated for offside pic.twitter.com/uxn04S8jlN— Chilean Premier League (@AbranCancha8) September 6, 2026
Fernando Ortiz commented on the play during the post-match press conference. The Colo Colo coach said that beyond this specific action, Vozinha did not have much activity in his goal due to the dynamics of the match. “I remember only one in the first half where he intended to go for the ball, or they touched him, and then I have no other memory if he touched it,” said the Argentine coach.
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Ortiz avoided evaluating the Cape Verdean’s performance, as he did not receive any direct shots on goal throughout the match. “Evaluating him in that sense, I have no observations to correct. There are none, I have none. The one he touched, he touched with his feet and tried to play,” he stated. The coach also opened the possibility that the 40-year-old player will play again in the next match against Deportes Concepción, which will be held next Sunday.
Beyond the error, the Cape Verde World Cup player left to the applause of the Concepción crowd and with multiple hugs from his teammates and Huachipato players, who greeted him affectionately.
The player signed a six-month contract with Colo Colo, with the possibility of extension for an additional year. The transfer brought with it a couple of important challenges: meeting the very high expectations of fans and the local sports media, convincing a coach who prioritizes youth academy players, and competing for a starting spot against a goalkeeper 20 years younger.
For Chilean football, which is going through a long crisis due to the absence of the Chilean national team in the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups, and which is about to face a new law that will change its operation, the arrival of Vozinha was a relief. The directors, attracted by the Cape Verdean’s popularity, accepted the change of a rule so that the player could wear his nickname on the jersey. For Colo Colo, a historic South American team and winner of the 1991 Copa Libertadores, the signing was a balm after a violent, tragic, and disappointing commemoration of its 100 years, marked by the death of two young fans outside the Monumental stadium in April 2025, the same month the institution set its celebration.
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