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Cape Verde suffered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as the African debutants held tournament favorites Spain to a goalless draw in Atlanta.
One of the biggest mismatches in football history produced one of the biggest results, with Cape Verde the third smallest nation to compete at the World Cup – but they showed the biggest heart.
Among the heroes was 40-year-old goalkeeper Vojinha, who played in Portugal’s second division last season and made four outstanding stops.
He tipped in Michael Varazaba’s header, made a low save from Ferran Torres’ close-range effort, tipped Aymeric Laporte’s goalbound header around the corner and then denied Mikel Merino and Mark Cucurella from inside the box.
The second man of the match from Vozinha was Shamrock Rovers’ Pico Lopes – who denied Warajabal with a stunning last ditch block on 88 minutes to deny a certain winner.
Cape Verde could have even won it as Danny Borges was found unmarked in a late, rare corner – only for goalkeeper Unai Simon to block it.
But Spain were also poor and wasteful, Torres missing a first-half sitter by hitting the bar from six yards. Spain could not find an answer even after sending off Lamine Yamal from the bench.
Spain’s Ferran Torres missed a sitter from six yards
It is quite simply a football result that will reverberate around the world.
Highlights from Atlanta…
- 31: The time it took for Spain’s starting striker Michael Warzabal to touch the ball for the first time – highlights how sluggish Spain are against the Cape Verde defence.
- 39: What a miss! Torres somehow hit the bar and failed to convert from six yards out. Then Cape Verde goalkeeper Vojinha brilliantly tipped in the rebound from Warzabal’s over.
- 45: What a save! Vojinha got down to deny a goalbound Torres shot from inside the box.
- 45+3: Another stop! The 40-year-old goalkeeper turned Laporte’s header around the post.
- 70: After showing little in attack, Yamal finally arrives to return from injury.
- 73: Yamal makes an immediate impact, setting up Marcos Llorente who squares for fellow Merino, who is again denied by Vojinha.
- 82: Cucurella gets in at the back post but can only fire straight at Voinha.
- 88: A close-range effort from Wajerbal is brilliantly blocked over the bar by Cape Verde defender Lopes.
- 90+1: Borges almost wins for Cape Verde but fails to convert a corner.
In pictures: 40-year-old Bhojinhar’s stunning save!
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vojinha, who turned 40 last week, made a stunning save to keep a clean sheet – starting with Ouarzazal’s header.
Then Vozinha saved from Torres back inside the box
Goalkeeper Vojinha then tipped Aymeric Laporte’s goalbound header around the post.
Analysis: How can Spain not break?
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz:
It wasn’t just a huge shock. Tournament Favorites vs. Tournament Debutants. It is one of the biggest mismatches in football history.
It exceeds the size and height of Spain and Cape Verde as separate nations. You only have to look at the pitch and the flow of play to see how huge the gap is.
All stats point to Spain, but Cape Verde hold them to a draw
Goalkeeper Vozinha would grab the headlines for saves – but he had the second most touches of any Cape Verde player on the pitch. A summary of how his teammates couldn’t hold onto the ball.
But Vozinha was not alone. His two centre-backs were outstanding and had the games of their lives. Dini Borges won more duels and made more tackles than any other player.
He was only bettered by Dublin-born Pico Lopes, who made 11 clearances – and made a goal-saving block to deny Warsaw late on.
But this is the story of Cape Verde – the question must be asked how Spain could not get across.
From the first minute, it was not the type of game for the European champions. The speed of the ball was low. Striker Warzabal took 31 minutes to touch the ball. They had a shot on target until the 38th minute.
Alternative Yamal made a difference, creating more space for others. But by then Spain was on the brink of despair.
There wasn’t enough rotation in wide areas before Spain’s teenage star arrived. Without Yamal and Nico Williams, Spain don’t look like a team equipped to be dangerous.
During Euro 2024, this Spain team was all about cool heads and moments of flair. This was the opposite.
The Spain boss has ‘no doubts’ about his team after the draw
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente:
“We should have won today’s match with everything that happened, with all the favorable conditions we created, but we lacked freshness and a clinical edge.
“Do you think my team is going to be? No doubt. We know how difficult this competition is. The idea we have to follow is what brought us here and what made us European champions.
“A team that is on a 30-plus match unbeaten run can have no doubts.
“The solution is to stick with the same approach, improve with more subtlety, but there you go. We created a lot of chances, but lacked the freshness you need in these games.
“They were very organized; they sat deep as a unit, and it was very difficult to create space. We lacked movement and freshness, but when the ball doesn’t go in, it doesn’t go in.
“We had shots on goal, chances and the desire to score quickly and settle the match. We know it’s very difficult and it’s incredibly difficult to win here.”
Statistics that put Spain to shame
- Spain had 27 shots in the match without finding the net, their joint record since 1966 without scoring in a FIFA World Cup match, and they also had 27 efforts in a 0-0 draw against Paraguay in 1998.
- Spain’s Michael Varzabal became the first player on record since 1966 to go the first 30 minutes of a World Cup match without touching the ball once.
- Spain attempted 12 shots in the first half against Cape Verde; Only in 1966 against Switzerland (14) have they had more first half shots without scoring in the competition (since 1966).
- Cape Verde completed just 14 passes in the opposition’s half in this match, the joint-lowest number of any team in a half of World Cup football on the Opta record (since 1966).
- Spain have had 49 shots and completed exactly 2,500 passes since they last scored at a FIFA World Cup in 2022 in the 11th minute against Japan.
- Spain have failed to win in their last four games at the FIFA World Cup, their last joint longest winless streak being from 25 June 1982 to 1 June 1986.
- Forty-year-old Vojinha made seven saves for Cape Verde in the match – since 1966, the only goalkeeper aged 40+ in a FIFA World Cup game since Pat Jennings on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986 (10).
- At 40 years and 12 days, Vojinha is the oldest player to appear in a country’s first FIFA World Cup game, having just yesterday broken the Alley Room record for Curaçao (37 years, 182 days). Only Egypt’s Essam El Hadary (45 years, 161 days) has an older World Cup debut than Vojinha today.
