Image source: Alamy Stock Photo
Cape Verde stunned tournament favourites Spain with a gutsy 0-0 draw in their historic 2026 World Cup Group H opener at Atlanta Stadium on Monday.
In their very first World Cup match, the Blue Sharks produced a defensive masterclass to claim a famous point. The African islanders now head into their clash with Uruguay on June 22 full of belief as they hunt a maiden tournament victory and a spot in the Round of 32.
For Spain, it was a night of total frustration. The European champions controlled the game and created chance after chance, yet they found Vozinha in inspired form. La Roja will be desperate for a response when they face Saudi Arabia on June 21.
Spain dictated the opening 45 minutes, bombarding the Cape Verde box early on. Vozinha stood tall, producing a sharp save to deny Pedri after just 15 minutes.
The pressure kept coming, and though Ferran Torres appeared to have beaten him in the 39th minute, the crossbar came to the rescue. From the rebound, the veteran goalkeeper pulled off a stunning fingertip save to keep out Mikel Oyarzabal.
Vozinha wasn’t finished. He produced two more brilliant stops before the break — first clawing away a powerful Torres strike on the stroke of half-time, then brilliantly turning away Aymeric Laporte’s effort in stoppage time.
After the restart, Spain continued to push but struggled to create clear openings against Cape Verde’s compact defence. Luis de la Fuente introduced Lamine Yamal and others from the bench, yet the 40-year-old shot-stopper remained unbeatable.
In the 84th minute, Vozinha produced one final moment of brilliance, diving to deny Marc Cucurella and seal a memorable clean sheet on his World Cup debut.
Spain 0
Cape Verde 0
Spain: Unai Simon, Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri (Williams 87'), Fabian Ruiz (Merino 71'), Pedri, Ferran Torres (Olmo 81'), Gavi (Yamal 71'), Oyarzabal
Cape Verde: Vozinha; Moreira, Borges, Pico, Sidny Cabral (Joao Paulo 76'); L. Duarte (D. Duarte 61'), Pina; Ryan Mendes, Monteiro (Arcanjo 79'), Jovane (Semedo 61'); Dailon (Da Costa 61')
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