On June 16, according to Yonhap News, Spain played to a scoreless 0-0 tie against Cape Verde in their opening match of Group H at the stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Spain fielded a strong lineup featuring key players from major European leagues, including Rodri (Manchester City), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea), Gavi, Ferran Torres, Pedri, and Pau Cubarci (all from Barcelona).
Despite dominating possession, Spain struggled to find their rhythm against Cape Verde. In the 38th minute, Pedri unleashed a sharp shot, but Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Vozinha, made a spectacular save, deflecting the ball over the crossbar.
Just three minutes later, Cucurella headed the ball down to Torres, who fired a powerful shot from about four meters out, only to hit the crossbar.
The loose ball was skillfully redirected by Mikel Oyarzabal with a header, but Vozinha again intervened with a fingertip save.
In the second half, Spain's coach Luis de la Fuente made a bold move by substituting Gavi for rising star Lamine Yamal shortly after the water break, but the team still could not break the deadlock.
In the 89th minute, Oyarzabal received a pass from Dani Olmo and took a quick, non-stop shot, but was thwarted by a remarkable defensive play from Cape Verde's Lopez.
With this result, Cape Verde, a nation of approximately 520,000 people, made history by holding off the Spanish onslaught in their first-ever World Cup match.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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