Cape Verde, second smallest in size, third smallest in population, etched their name in World Cup history, holding the current European champions, Spain, to a timeless 0-0 draw that reinvigorated the magic of a World Cup. The result was as razor-thin as could be expected – Cape Verde’s keeper Vozinha made seven crucial saves, and Spain threw the kitchen sink at the end. But the debutants held on stoutly and produced what will go down as one of the biggest results of a World Cup.
When a 48-team tournament was announced, many believed there would be a watering down of sorts. The quality of matches would diminish when lower-ranked teams matched up against established giants. Germany put seven past Curacao, and the fears that had been raised throughout the lead-up to the World Cup seemed valid.
Cape Verde proved just how rich football is for opening itself up to an excess of countries. For ninety unexpected, unpredictable minutes, they kept the team many have tipped to go ahead and win it all, out of their crosshairs. Cape Verde’s outstanding first half was built on pragmatism and an ironclad defensive structure. Spain came to break down the tiny archipelagic nation and was instead met with the fiercest of resistance.
De la Fuente’s initial tactics did not help. The Spaniards stretched their team wide and rotated the ball in the early minutes, but their wastefulness was worrisome. A Spanish team that comes with its pick of choice midfielders, made no attempts to go through the middle of the Atlanta stadium, even though it took them less than sixty seconds from the first whistle to camp ten of their eleven players deep into Cape Verde’s half.
Mikel Oyarzabal, de la Fuente’s striker of choice, managed to get his first touch in the 30th minute of the game. Moving the ball centrally became an option only in the last minutes of the first half, and when they did, Spain instantly transformed.
Their first real chance belatedly came from a move through the middle of the park. Ballon d’Or winner Rodri dinked a delightful chip onto newly-minted Real Madrid left-back Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard immediately put a straight ball onto the path of Ferran Torres, who volleyed the ball onto the bar. Oyarzabal met the rebound from the bar, but his looping header was tipped away by Vozinha. Torres was handed another chance minutes later – it would be yet another pass from Cucurella, and this time it was Gavi, who stepped over the ball and allowed Torres a shot, but the left-footed curler was easily handled by Vozinha.
Spain, tipped to be the champions of the World in North America, had only found their feet against the islanders as the first half came to a close. They ended the half with 16 pointless crosses.
Both Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, key to de la Fuente’s direct attacking philosophy, were still nursing their end-of-season injuries and watched on from the substitutes bench as the Spaniards missed the incisiveness that their first-choice wingers brought to the pitch.
Spain’s control over the game grew as the second half began, but the story remained the same. Chances were few and far, and steadily their impatience grew, and the outlet became shots from outside the box. Then de la Fuente brought Lamine Yamal, Mikel Merino and Dani Olma. This was going to be it.
Except that the steel of Bubista’s boy withstood the might of the near-strength European champions. There would be chances – Olmo almost assisted in the 86th minute, but a match-saving block from Kevin Pina denied and frustrated Oyarzabal’s attempt. Yamal, dangerous since he came on, was harried and doubled in all of his thirty minutes. The Barcelona winger gave the Blue Sharks some nerves from the moment he came on, but that game-unlocking moment never arrived.