Spain entered the World Cup as the favorite, with an opening match designed to show what they were made of, but struggled mightily with a flat pace and slow ball movement despite perfect weather conditions at the covered, air-conditioned stadium in Atlanta, and Cape Verde held its ground and earned a point in its World Cup debut.
Luis de la Fuente couldn’t find the right formula. He surprised everyone by starting Gavi at left wing, but aside from two high press recoveries, he had no offensive impact. The coach looked for solutions but couldn’t find them. Aware of the pressure of leading one of the top favorites, the tie he wore in the first half became more and more of a burden as the minutes ticked by. So much so that he didn’t wear it in the second half.
Pedri didn’t show up, and Cucurella took on the burden of leading the attack
A match in which Pedri didn’t perform well, and Spain felt the impact.
Two poor passes by the midfielder, who struggled to find his rhythm, marked the start of a match in which Cape Verde took control.
A low block that covers the interior lanes to disrupt Spain’s offense.
In light of this plan, Marc Cucurella emerged as a key figure.
The name that has been making the most headlines in the Spanish national team over the past 24 hours, whose signing with Real Madrid was made official on the day of the season opener.
Playing at left back with little defensive pressure, Cucurella kept pushing forward to the byline and delivering crosses back into the box that Ferran Torres failed to convert.
First, he hit the post in the 38th minute, and then, in the 43rd, he faced Vozinha, who made a name for himself in that match.
Even more so with his save on a header by Laporte just before halftime (Filed under: Spain vs. Cape Verde).
From free agent to World Cup hero
At 40 years old, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper is currently without a team after his contract with Chaves, a club in Portugal’s second division, expired.
He ranks at the bottom of the market value list on the specialized website Transfermarkt, with a value of 50,000 euros.
Not even Lamine Yamal, who tops this ranking as the most valuable player—at 200 million euros—alongside Erling Haaland, could overcome Cape Verde’s resistance.
A global icon. In Atlanta, his face was plastered all over the buildings.
An icon in advertising and on the field.
He played the final 20 minutes to constant cheers from the crowd at the Atlanta stadium.
A run down the right flank, but Spain lacked precision in front of goal (Filed under: Spain vs. Cape Verde).
Luis de la Fuente couldn't find the right key
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Cape Verde weathered the storm
Fabián had three shots, Oyarzabal two, and Laporte and Mikel Merino one each… but none of them could get past Vozinha or Pico Lopes, the Cape Verdean center back, who was all over Spain’s attackers.
He went in hard and closed down the angle to block a shot by Oyarzabal in the 88th minute.
Neither Spain nor Cape Verde could come out on top; Cape Verde put up a fight and even briefly held out hope of earning more than one point.
Disney Borges could have gone down in his country’s history books in the 89th minute.
His was Cape Verde’s first and only shot on goal, which Unai Simón saved.
Cape Verde’s joy in the face of Spain’s disappointment.
A draw that no one on the team had anticipated and that brings back memories of the World Cup.
Since winning the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, Spain has won only three matches—one per tournament—and has not advanced past the group stage.
Technical data
0 – Spain: Unai Simón; Marcos Llorente, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri (Nico Williams, 87′), Pedri, Fabián (Mikel Merino, 71′), Gavi (Lamine Yamal, 71′); Ferran Torres (Dani Olmo, 81′) and Oyarzabal.
Head Coach: Luis de la Fuente (ESP)
0 – Cape Verde: Vozinha; Moreira, Pico Lopes, Diney Borges, Sidny Cabral (Joao Pablo, 76′); Kevin Pina, Jovane Cabral (Willy Semedo, 61′), Jamiro Monteiro, Laros Duarte (Deroy Duarte, 61′); Ryan Mendes and Livramento (Nuno da Costa, 61′).
Coach: Pedro Leitao Brito ‘Bubista’ (CPV).
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR). He issued a yellow card to Pedri (93′) for Spain and to Sidny Cabral (16′) for Cape Verde.
Match details: A Group H match from the first round of the 2026 World Cup, played at the Atlanta Stadium—which features a roof and climate control system—in front of 67,640 spectators (Filed under: Spain vs. Cape Verde).
With information from EFE
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