FT · World: World Cup · Sunday, 21 June 2026

Uruguay 22 Cape VerdeMatch recap & Bawler model verdict · Sunday, 21 June 2026

> 🧠 Model verdict
✗ Result against the lean

Pre-match, Bawler had Uruguay at 38%, draw at 32%, Cape Verde at 30%. Against expectation, the match finished 2-2. The model's headline call was Uruguay to win.

> Pre-match probability vs result
Uruguay win
38%
Draw
32%
Actual ✓
Verde win
30%
> Expected vs actual goals
Model expected (xG)
1.401.21
Total 2.61
Actual
22
Total 4 (+1.4 vs xG)

Match overperformed xG by 1.4 goals. Above-expectation scoring — could be finishing, set-piece luck, or genuine attacking quality the model under-rated.

> 🧾 What the model called · and how it landed
High confidence
Over 1.5 Goals
Pre-match: 74%
✓ Won
Medium confidence
1X
Pre-match: 64%
✓ Won
Outside shot
Draw
Pre-match: 22%
✓ Won
> What we said pre-match
"Over 1.5 Goals lands at 74% because both sides combine for 2.61 xG, with Uruguay's creator Valverde and Cape Verde's scorer Mendes primed to unlock a low-stakes, open affair."

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