Cape Verde Holds Spain to Goalless Draw in World Cup Debut
7 verified7 unconfirmed1 contested
Cape Verde earned a historic 0-0 draw against Spain on Monday, holding the reigning European champions scoreless in their first-ever World Cup appearance. The match, played in Atlanta, saw Spain dominate possession with 74 percent control and register 27 shots, but the Cape Verde defense and 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha repelled every attack. Vozinha made seven saves to preserve the clean sheet, while Cape Verde committed only one foul during the entire match—the fewest recorded by a team in a World Cup game since 1966. Spain’s inability to score extended a drought that began during the 2022 tournament, as the team has now gone 2,500 passes without a World Cup goal. The result was widely described as one of the biggest shocks in tournament history, given the 65-place gap in FIFA rankings between the two sides. Spain have a history of slow starts at World Cups, having lost their opening match in 2010 before going on to win the title that year.
What’s verified
Cape Verde held Spain to a 0-0 draw on their World Cup debut.
Goalkeeper Vozinha, aged 40, made seven saves in the match.
Cape Verde committed only one foul, the fewest by any team in a World Cup match since 1966.
Spain had 27 shots and 74 percent possession.
Spain and Cape Verde are separated by 65 places in FIFA’s world rankings, the largest gap in a World Cup game that did not end in the higher-ranked side winning.
Spain have not scored a World Cup goal since Alvaro Morata’s 11th-minute header against Japan in 2022.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal did not touch the ball for the first 30–31 minutes of the match.
Where accounts differ
Reports differ on exactly how long Mikel Oyarzabal went without touching the ball. One source states it was 30 minutes, while another states 31 minutes. No other conflicting reports identified across sources.
Not yet confirmed
Vozinha is the second-oldest man to make a World Cup debut; the oldest is Essam El-Hadary (45 years, 161 days in 2018), according to a single source.
Vozinha’s Instagram following grew from 50,000 to 1.5 million within an hour of kick-off, according to a single source.
Cape Verde coach Pedro Brito was quoted saying, “This is proof of what our country is about – resilience and to try to overcome hardships,” according to a single source.
Spain’s expected goals (xG) was reported as 2.7 by one source and 2.29 by another, but this difference may reflect different statistical models.
The number of corners won by Spain was reported as 11 in one source.
Details about individual Cape Verde players’ backgrounds (e.g., Sidny Cabral playing in German fifth tier, Garry Rodrigues being a former postman, Ryan Mendes being scouted by Leicester) come from single sources.
Lamine Yamal began the match as a substitute while recovering from injury, reportedly finishing second in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting, per one source.
Key figures
Vozinha (goalkeeper, Cape Verde)
Mikel Oyarzabal (striker, Spain)
Luis de la Fuente (Spain coach)
Pedro Brito (Cape Verde coach)
Diney Borges (Cape Verde defender)
Pico Lopes (Cape Verde defender)
Sidny Lopes Cabral (Cape Verde defender)
Lamine Yamal (Spain forward)
Nico Williams (Spain forward)
Sources: BBC News, Sky Sports, sbnation.com
