Spain runs into a wall, Cape Verde earn a historic draw

27 shots, 2.10 expected goals… and 0 goals. On their grand World Cup debut, Cape Verde stood up to the European champions, carried by an unbeatable Vozinha. 0-0.

It is one of the biggest surprises of this World Cup. In Atlanta, Cape Verde, 67^th nation in the FIFA rankings and the smallest side ever to qualify, held Spain, reigning European champions and tournament favourites, to a resounding 0-0. Dominated from the first to the last minute, the Tubarões Azuis survived thanks to a heroic defence and a 40-year-old goalkeeper, Vozinha, absolutely unbeatable. A point for the history books.

A 90-minute siege, a wall that would not break

Spain imposed their grip from kick-off, launching wave after wave without managing to beat the Cape Verdean vigilance. The symbol of the match came in the 39^th minute: alone a few metres out, Ferran Torres smashed the crossbar, before Vozinha immediately parried the header from Mikel Oyarzabal. Just before the break, the keeper again pulled off top-class saves against Torres, Pedri and Laporte.

The second half followed the same script. Luis de la Fuente brought on his gem Lamine Yamal on the hour mark, then Dani Olmo and Nico Williams, but nothing worked: Mikel Merino and Marc Cucurella were denied by Vozinha, and a clearance from Roberto Lopes preserved the 0-0 on Spain's last attack. Cape Verde did not only defend: in the 90^th+1, Diney Borges even thought he had handed his side victory with a header from a corner, but Unai Simón produced a miraculous save.

The giant and the archipelago

Everything set the two nations apart. On one side Spain, reigning European champions, crowned world champions in 2010 and one of the big favourites, led by Pedri, Lamine Yamal and Rodri. On the other, Cape Verde, an archipelago of half a million inhabitants, contesting the very first World Cup in its history after a brilliant African qualifying campaign under the guidance of Bubista.

Almost no one imagined the Tubarões Azuis could resist — even though Luis de la Fuente had warned that Cape Verde could be one of the surprises of the tournament. He could not have been more right.

La Roja's frustration, Cape Verde's dream

Beyond the feat, it is Spain's frustration that stands out. "We should have won this match given everything we created, but we lacked freshness and clinical edge", admitted Luis de la Fuente, before showing his composure: "Zero doubt." Indeed, Spain had everything but efficiency.

A completely open Group H

In a rare occurrence, all four teams in Group H finish the day level on one point apiece: in the other match, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia also drew, 1-1, with an equaliser from Maxi Araújo in the 79^th. Everything is still to play for. Matchday 2^{, on 21 June, will see Spain face Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde take on Uruguay.} Group H — Matchday 1

Sources: FIFA, Flashscore, ESPN, Opta Analyst, Business Standard, Outlook India.