Cape Verde pulled off one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as the African debutants held tournament favourites Spain to a goalless draw in Atlanta.
One of the biggest mismatches in football history has produced one of the biggest results, with Cape Verde the third-smallest nation to ever compete in a World Cup – but they showed the biggest heart.
Among the heroes included 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha, who played in Portugal’s second division last season and made four outstanding stops.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, who turned 40 last week , made stunning saves to keep a clean sheet
He tipped over Mikel Oyarazabal’s header, saved low from Ferran Torres’ close-range effort, tipped Aymeric Laporte’s goalbound header around the corner and then denied Mikel Merino and Marc Cucurella from inside the box late on.
Second to Vozinha to man of the match was Shamrock Rovers’ Pico Lopes – who denied Oyarazabal with a stunning last-ditch block on 88 minutes to deny a certain winner.
Cape Verde could have even won it as Diney Borges was found unmarked at a late, rare corner – only for it to be blocked into goalkeeper Unai Simon’s path.
But Spain were also poor and wasteful, with Torres missing a first-half sitter by hitting the bar from six yards. Even after sending on Lamine Yamal from the bench, Spain could not find an answer.
Spain’s Ferran Torres missed a sitter from six yards
It is quite simply a football result that will reverberate around the world.
The key moments from Atlanta…
- 31: The time it took for Spain’s starting striker Mikel Oyarzabal to touch the ball for the first time – highlighting how limp Spain were against a stoic Cape Verde defence.
- 39: WHAT A MISS! Torres somehow fails to convert from six yards out by hitting the bar. Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha then superbly tips the rebound from Oyarzabal over.
- 45: WHAT A SAVE! Vozinha gets down low to deny a goalbound Torres shot from inside the box.
- 45+3: ANOTHER STOP! Laporte’s header is turned around the post by the 40-year-old goalkeeper.
- 70: After showing little in attack, Yamal finally comes on for his return from injury.
- 73: Yamal had an immediate impact, teeing up Marcos Llorente who squared for fellow substitute Merino, who was denied by Vozinha again.
- 82: Cucurella is found at the back post but can only fire straight at Vozinha.
- 88: Oyazarbal had a close-range effort wonderfully blocked over the bar by Cape Verde defender Lopes.
- 90+1: Borges NEARLY wins it for Cape Verde but can’t convert at a corner.
The stats that shame Spain
- Spain had 27 shots in this match without finding the net, their joint most on record since 1966 in a FIFA World Cup match without scoring, along with their 27 attempts against Paraguay in 1998, also a 0-0 draw.
- Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal is the first player on record since 1966 to play 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 against Switzerland in 1966 (14) have they had more shots in a first half without scoring in the competition (since 1966 onwards).
- Cape Verde have completed just 14 passes in the opposition’s half in this match, the joint-lowest figure of any side in a half of football at the World Cup on Opta record (since 1966).
- Spain have had 49 shots and completed exactly 2,500 passes since they last scored a goal in the FIFA World Cup in the 11th minute against Japan in 2022.
- Spain have failed to win in their last four games in the FIFA World Cup, their last joint longest winless streak was from 25th June 1982 to 1st June 1986.
- Forty-year-old Vozinha made seven saves for Cape Verde in this match – since 1966, the only goalkeeper aged 40+ to make more saves in a FIFA World Cup game was Pat Jennings on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986 (10).
- At 40 years and 12 days, Vozinha is the oldest player to make an appearance in a nation’s debut FIFA World Cup game, breaking Eloy Room’s record set just yesterday for Curaçao (37 years, 182 days). Only Egypt’s Essam El Hadary (45 years, 161 days) has been older when making his World Cup debut than Vozinha today.
