Spain 0-0 Cape Verde: The African nation defies one of the biggest mismatches in football history and shows the beauty of the game. football news

The essence of football is that anyone stands a chance against anyone. With all the financial muscle in the game, that bottom line becomes harder and harder to see. And yet, there are days at the World Cup that defy everything.

Spain vs Cape Verde. Tournament Favorites vs. Tournament Debutants. A country that has won four European Championships and one World Cup against a team that lost to Mauritania in qualifying.

Yet a football nation of 50 million couldn’t beat a collection of islands comprising a population of 500,000. Not only was it a huge shock, it was one of the biggest mismatches in football history.

And as soon as the game starts, you will see that disparity in the quality of football.

Goalkeeper Vozinha will make headlines for his clean sheet, the seven saves he made at the age of 40 and his tears of joy at full-time – but he had the second-most touches of any Cape Verdean player on the pitch. His outfield teammates couldn’t hold on to the ball.

Spain completed almost 400 passes in the final third of the pitch, while Cape Verde could manage 16 at the other end. Their 74 percent possession and 27 shots produced an Expected Goals (xG) of 2.7 – Spain won that match 3-0 on most days.

But stories like Bhojinha’s make the impossible possible. And the Cape Verde goalkeeper was not alone in his heroic display.

His two centre-backs were outstanding and had the games of their lives. Danny Borges won more doubles and made more tackles than any other player in white and blue.

His performance was only bettered by his centre-back partner – Dublin-born Pico Lopes – who made 11 clearances and had a goal-saving block to deny Spain striker Michael Warzabal late on.

And despite Spain’s dominance, Cape Verde committed just one foul in the entire game – the fewest in a match by any World Cup team recorded since 1966. They did this relentlessly. No wasted time, no cheap tricks, no ‘housery’. Just the heart.

That’s no surprise, considering the journey these players have taken to get to this point. Three years ago, defender Sidney Cabral – who played most of the game on a yellow card – was in Germany’s fifth tier. Forward Gary Rodriguez is a former postman.

Captain Ryan Mendes thought his big break was coming when Leicester came to scout him while he was playing for French second-tier side Le Havre. The move did not happen, and the Premier League side signed one of his teammates instead. His name was Riyad Mahrez.

“It means everything to our country,” Cape Verde coach Pedro Brito said. “It’s a testament to what our country is about – resilience and trying to overcome adversity.

But a result like this draw against Spain can be life-changing. No better was the case for goalkeeper Vojinha, who admitted after the game that he could not afford to pay for his mother’s visa to attend the World Cup.

But he started with 50,000 followers on Instagram on Monday. An hour after kick-off and that number sat at 1.5 million. These 90 minutes, these seven saves could significantly change the life of a player who is surely thinking of retirement at the end of this summer, his contract with second-division Portuguese club Chaves expiring on June 30.

Commercial opportunities in the country may be just around the corner. Documentaries can be made. He’ll never buy a drink in Cape Verde again, that’s for sure.

How did Spain fail to win?

But this is the story of Cape Verde – the question must be asked how Spain could not get across. For them, it was a failure – possibly even an all-time low.

From the first minute, it was not the type of game for the European champions. The speed of the ball was very low.

Strikers Mikel Warzabal, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were key to Spain’s attack after struggling with injuries, taking 31 minutes to touch the ball. Spain managed just one shot on target until the 38th minute.

Substitute Yamal made a difference from the moment he came off the bench, 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.

Spain knows there is so much room for improvement. They know that Yamal and Williams will improve if they resume the match.

They can also point to recent history where such results have provided the perfect kick in the rear to success.

After losing their opener to Saudi Arabia in the last World Cup, many saw Argentina off. Barcelona and Real Madrid players were arguably the best combination in Spain’s only World Cup win in 2010 when they lost to Switzerland in their first game.

Despite the national embarrassment, Spain’s World Cup bid is far from over. That is another example of the beauty of football.