3 weeks ago
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Cape Verde announced themselves connected the World Cup signifier with a stunning 0-0 gully against Spain connected Monday (June 15, 2026), frustrating the European champions who dominated possession and had 27 extremity attempts but could find nary mode past 40-year-old keeper Vozinha.
The African broadside built a blue-shirted barricade successful beforehand of Vozinha and dared Spain, who dominated astir everything in the Group H gully but the scoreline, to find a mode through.
Spain had astir 75% possession, but Cape Verde's archetypal lucifer astatine a World Cup became a heroic workout successful resistance, subject and occasional survival.
At the last whistle, Vozinha was named subordinate of the lucifer and left the transportation successful tears aft a show that turned him into the look of Cape Verde's historical night.
For Spain, it had uncomfortable echoes of their 2022 World Cup round-of-16 exit to Morocco: endless passing, a antiaircraft partition astatine the different end and a increasing consciousness that each the possession successful the satellite means small if the punishment country is locked unopen and you cannot find the keys.
Cape Verde defended heavy from the commencement successful a five-man debased block, often crowding their ain container with astir the full team. Spain moved the shot from broadside to side, probing for cracks, but the African debutants were organised, stubborn and impressively calm nether pressure.
Luis de la Fuente's determination to remainder Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams from the starting lineup against theoretically easier opponents removed overmuch of Spain's accustomed thrust. Ferran Torres and Gavi, utilized wide, struggled to supply the gait and one-on-one menace that has made Spain truthful unsafe successful recent years.
Vozinha takes centre stage
Marc Cucurella, precocious announced arsenic a large signing for Real Madrid from Chelsea, sent an aboriginal long-range effort conscionable over, earlier Mikel Oyarzabal failed to bring nether power a promising done shot wrong the area.
Then Vozinha took centre stage.
The Cape Verde keeper produced a superb prevention from Pedri successful the 36th infinitesimal earlier Spain almost broke done 3 minutes later, erstwhile Ferran's onslaught rattled the crossbar. From the rebound, Vozinha someway clawed distant Oyarzabal's header with 1 hand.
Ferran past wasted a good accidental successful the 45th minute, shooting tamely astatine the keeper, earlier Vozinha again flung himself crossed extremity to thenar Aymeric Laporte's header circular the station soon earlier halftime.
Spain resumed power aft the break, but their finishing remained poor. Oyarzabal mistimed a close-range header aft a clever Pedri tally down the left, portion Fabian Ruiz doubly changeable wildly from the borderline of the box.
De la Fuente waited until the 70th infinitesimal to present Yamal and Mikel Merino, replacing Gavi and Fabian, and the teen instantly changed the mood. His acceleration connected the close forced Cape Verde to situation him with markers and yet stretched the defence.
In the 88th minute, Yamal slipped a fine walk into Oyarzabal, but the forward's effort was blocked astatine the past moment.
Cape Verde adjacent earned a precocious corner, their lone effort connected people coming successful added time, but by past they had already made their point. They adjacent created precocious chances of their ain arsenic they threatened to origin an adjacent bigger upset.
The different 2 teams successful Group H, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay, conscionable successful Miami aboriginal connected Monday.
