The first surprise of the World Cup in Atlanta: Cape Verde hold Spain to a draw
The European champions could only manage a 0–0 draw against the African side, who were making their World Cup debut, in their opening match of the tournament
Spain v Cape Verde ends 0-0. In Atlanta, the first real surprise of the 2026 World Cup materialises, with the European champions, playing at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, failing to breach the defence of the African side making their debut in FIFA’s premier football tournament, despite having over 70% possession.
The match unfolded in a predictable fashion. La Roja dominated possession, moved the ball around, and tried to break through the middle, whilst Cape Verde defended deep, compactly, and almost textbook-perfectly.
Chances? Few and far between. The clearest came towards the end of the first half: Ferran Torres hit the crossbar, symbolic of an evening in which the attack produced little of note. Otherwise, there were attempts from Pedri and a few runs from the full-backs, but nothing that really broke the deadlock. In the second half, Spanish manager De la Fuente tried to break the deadlock with fresh attacking options. In the 71st minute, Lamine Yamal and Merino came on in an attempt to increase unpredictability and tempo. The interesting thing is that it changed the feel of the match, but not the result.
Spain step up the pace, push forward and send in a flurry of crosses. But it’s a fruitless siege. Every attempt hits a wall: defenders, awkward angles, and above all Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who proves decisive with a series of crucial saves.
In the dying minutes, the match could even have swung in Cape Verde’s favour as they looked to strike on the counter-attack; in the 90th minute, following a corner, Borges had a chance to score with a header. But Unai Simón saved the day
