Atlanta (USA) (EFE).- Spain was left without a goal in its first match of the 2026 World Cup against Cape Verde, drawing nil-nil, after accumulating passes, chances, and dominance without accuracy in front of the opposing goal throughout the duel, in the first matchday of Group H of the tournament.
You might be interested in: Germany reaches 239 goals and sets a new World Cup record
Luis de la Fuente didn’t find the right formula. He surprised everyone by starting Gavi as a left winger, but beyond two high recoveries, he had no offensive presence. The coach looked for solutions, but didn’t find them. Aware of the pressure of leading one of the big favorites, the tie he wore in the first half tightened more and more as the minutes passed. So much so that in the second half, he no longer wore it.
A match in which Pedri did not click and Spain noticed it. Two uncharacteristic passing errors from the midfielder, who could not find the rhythm of the game, marked a start to the match in which Cape Verde grew strong. A low block and covering the interior lanes to hinder Spain’s play.
Faced with this plan, the figure of Marc Cucurella appeared. The name that has been heard the most in the Spanish national team in the last 24 hours and whose signing by Real Madrid was made official on the day of the debut.
More Read
From a left-back position with almost no defensive demands, Cucurella insisted on pushing to the byline and serving balls back that Ferran Torres failed to convert. First, he hit the post in the 38th minute and later, in the 43rd, he was denied by Vozinha, who put himself on the map with this match; even more so with his low save on a header from Laporte just before halftime.
At 40 years old, the Cape Verdean goalkeeper finds himself without a team, after ending his contract with Chaves, in the second division of Portugal. He occupies the lowest market value positions on the specialized website Transfermarkt, with 50,000 euros. Not even Lamine Yamal, the opposite in this ranking, being the player with the highest value -200 million euros-, along with Erling Haaland, could overcome the resistance of Cape Verde.
Global idol. In Atlanta, his face covered buildings. An advertising icon and on the pitch. He played the last 20 minutes to constant ovations from the crowd at the Atlanta stadium. Dribbling from the right wing, but Spain lacked accuracy in the finish.
Technical specifications:
0 – Spain: Unai Simón: Marcos Llorente, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri (Nico Williams, m.87), Pedri, Fabián (Mikel Merino, m.71), Gavi (Lamine Yamal, m.71); Ferran Torres (Dani Olmo, m.81) and Oyarzabal.
Manager: Luis de la Fuente (ESP)
0 – Cape Verde: Vozinha; Moreira, Pico Lopes, Diney Borges, Sidny Cabral (Joao Pablo, m.76); Kevin Pina, Jovane Cabral (Willy Semedo m.61), Jamiro Monteiro, Laros Duarte (Deroy Duarte, m.61); Ryan Mendes and Livramento (Nuno da Costa, m.61).
More Read
Selector: Pedro Leitao Brito ‘Bubista’ (CPV).
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (JOR). Booked Pedri (m.93) for Spain and Sidny Cabral (m.16) for Cape Verde.
Incidents: Match of the first round of Group H of the 2026 World Cup played at the Atlanta stadium, with roof and air conditioning system, before 67,640 spectators.
