▲ Lamine Yamal (right) takes a shot
Spain, considered a strong title contender for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, was held to a surprising scoreless draw by Cape Verde, a nation making its historic first appearance in the World Cup finals.
In their Group H opening match held at the Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA, Spain recorded 27 shots against Cape Verde but finished in a 0-0 draw.
On this day, a formidable Spanish side fielded a starting lineup packed with key players active in major European leagues, including Rodri, Marc Cucurella, Gavi, Ferran Torres, Pedri, and Pau Cubarsí.
However, once the match began, Spain struggled to find their rhythm throughout the first half.
Against a Cape Verde side that locked down their goal with a solid defensive wall, Spain struggled to raise their attacking tempo, noticeably lacking threatening runs into open spaces and quick transitions between defense and attack.
Their first real threat did not come until the 38th minute of the first half.
Pedri unleashed a sharp shot, but Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha made a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the crossbar.
Although the play was ultimately ruled offside, it was a moment that highlighted the class of the 40-year-old veteran Vozinha, who was making his World Cup debut.
In the 41st minute, Spain rued a missed golden opportunity.
Cucurella headed the ball down, and Torres struck it powerfully from just about 4 meters out in front of the goal, only for it to rattle the crossbar.
Mikel Oyarzabal connected with the rebound with an intuitive header, but that too was tipped away by Vozinha's fingertips.
Vozinha's brilliant saves continued.
Four minutes later, Torres received a low, fast cross from Cucurella inside the penalty box and aimed for the bottom-left corner of the net, but Vozinha dived to make a calm save.
In the third minute of first-half stoppage time, Vozinha tenaciously punched away a sharp header from Aymeric Laporte off a corner kick, keeping Spain's relentless onslaught scoreless throughout the first half.
Entering the second half still scoreless, Spain appeared somewhat impatient.
Ultimately, Spain's manager Luis de la Fuente made a tactical move right after the second-half cooling break, subbing out Gavi for the rising star Lamine Yamal.
Yamal, who had been ruled out for the rest of the club season early after suffering a hamstring injury this past April, returned to the pitch for the first time on this day, completely shifting the momentum of the game upon his entry.
Moving with light steps, drawing defenders, and creating space, Yamal easily bypassed his marker on the right flank just four minutes after coming on and slipped a pass to Marcos Llorente.
Mikel Merino, receiving the ball, immediately took a shot, but goalkeeper Vozinha saved it without much trouble.
Although it did not lead to a goal, it was a moment that clearly breathed life into Spain's attack.
Spain had another decisive opportunity in the 89th minute.
Mikel Oyarzabal received a pass from Dani Olmo and unleashed a non-stop shot without hesitation, but was left frustrated as it was blocked by Cape Verde defender Lopes's fantastic body block.
Lopes turned his body and blocked the ball heading toward the net with his back, dramatically saving his team from danger.
Instead, in the dying minutes, Cape Verde gave Spain a scare by creating a threatening opportunity from a set piece.
Off a corner kick, Diney Borges attempted an exquisite bouncing header, but it went straight to goalkeeper Unai Simón.
With this, Cape Verde, an island nation with a population of around 520,000, made history by holding off the relentless onslaught of the "Invincible Armada" Spain in their first-ever World Cup finals appearance.
Located in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, Cape Verde is an archipelago nation consisting of 15 islands. After becoming a FIFA member in 1986, the country began participating in World Cup qualifiers starting with the 2002 Korea-Japan tournament, and has now tasted the joy of a historic finals appearance and earning its first-ever point at this 2026 tournament in North America.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.