Cape Verde Hold Spain to Historic Goalless Draw in World Cup Debut

Cape Verde made a historic World Cup debut on Monday, holding reigning European champions Spain to a goalless draw in Atlanta. The result was a major upset, as Spain dominated possession but failed to break down a resolute Cape Verde defense led by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha.

Vozinha Shines on World Cup Debut

Vozinha, who plays for Chaves in Portugal's second tier, turned 40 on June 3 and became the second-oldest man to make his World Cup debut. Only Egypt's Essam El-Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days old when he played in 2018, was older. Vozinha made seven saves from Spain's 27 attempts, the most by a goalkeeper aged 40 or older in a World Cup match since 1966, when Northern Ireland's Pat Jennings made 10 saves against Brazil on his 41st birthday.

Disciplined Defense

Cape Verde's defensive performance was exemplary, committing only one foul throughout the match—the fewest by any team in a World Cup game since records began in 1966. The sole foul, by Sidny Lopes Cabral in the first half, resulted in a yellow card.

Spain's Goal Drought Continues

Spain have not scored a World Cup goal since Alvaro Morata's 11th-minute header against Japan in their final group match in Qatar in 2022. Since then, they have attempted 49 shots and completed 2,500 passes without finding the net. That game against Japan was followed by a 0-0 draw with Morocco in the last 16 (which Spain lost on penalties) and now another stalemate against Cape Verde.

Striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who scored Spain's winning goal in the Euro 2024 final, did not touch the ball in the first 30 minutes against Cape Verde. According to statistics provider Opta, no other player has gone without a touch in the opening half-hour of a World Cup match since 1966.

Ranking Gap

Spain and Cape Verde are separated by 65 places in the FIFA World Rankings, the largest gap ever in a World Cup match that did not end in a victory for the higher-ranked side.

Spain's Poor World Cup Starts

Spain have a history of slow starts at World Cups, winning only their opening match in three of their last 15 appearances, with five draws and seven losses. One of those defeats came in 2010, when they went on to win the tournament. However, since beating the Netherlands in the 2010 final, Spain have played 12 World Cup matches, winning only three. They exited in the group stage in 2014 and were eliminated in the round of 16 in 2018 and 2022.