Despite 65 places separating them in the world rankings, Cape Verde marked their World Cup debut by holding tournament favourites Spain.

Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha produced an inspired display as the World Cup debutants held European champions Spain to a shock 0-0 draw in their Group H clash on Monday.

Vozinha made seven saves to deny Spain’s star-studded squad, with Lamine Yamal’s introduction not enough to spark La Roja’s attack into life. 

Pedri’s tame 15th-minute effort was the first time Vozinha was forced into action, but the 40-year-old was on hand to produce a string of stunning stops as Spain piled on the pressure at the end of the first half. 

Rodri’s clipped ball in behind was laid back across by the head of Marc Cucurella, only for Ferran Torres to cannon his strike against the crossbar, with Mikel Oyarzabal‘s header on the follow-up sensationally tipped over by Vozinha. 

The Cape Verde goalkeeper then got down low to his left to thwart Torres again on the stroke of half-time, before he then tipped Aymeric Laporte’s header to safety. 

Spain continued to struggle to break through Cape Verde’s stern defensive rearguard, with Luis de la Fuente introducing both Yamal and Mikel Merino off the bench in the 71st minute, the latter springing Vozinha into action moments after coming on.  

A heroic piece of defending from Pico Lopes blocked Oyarzabal’s late effort, and Cape Verde had a huge chance to snatch the unlikeliest of victories late on, but Diney Borges’ header was saved by Unai Simón, as the spoils were shared in the first seismic shock at this year’s World Cup. 

Vozinha Proves Age is Just a Number

Ahead of kick-off, Spain boss De la Fuente said Yamal was in perfect condition to face Cape Verde, but the 19-year-old was named among the substitutes, and his absence in attack certainly hindered La Roja, who were slow and predictable in their build-up. 

Oyarzabal, who was one of only three players with 10+ goal involvements in the World Cup qualifiers, became the first player at this year’s World Cup to not touch the ball in the first 25 minutes of a match.

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), but those efforts were mainly from distance. 

And even with the introduction of Yamal, who certainly injected some pace in the final third, Spain were simply not good enough. Since scoring in the 11th minute of their World Cup match vs Japan in 2022, they have now completed 2,500 passes without scoring.

They finished with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.29 from their 27 shots, seven of which were on target, but they were met by Vozinha, who saved all seven. Since 1966, the only goalkeeper aged 40+ to make more saves in a World Cup game was Pat Jennings on his 41st birthday for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986 (10).

And at 40 years and 12 days, Vozinha is the oldest player to make an appearance in a nation’s debut World Cup game, breaking Eloy Room’s record set just yesterday for Curacao (37 years, 182 days).

Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Spain vs Cape Verde stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.

Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well. 

Spain vs Cape Verde: Post-Match Opta Facts

  • 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.
  • Despite Spain having 74% possession, Cabo Verde conceded only one foul in this match – the fewest by a team in a FIFA World Cup match on record since 1966.
  • 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 have only won their first match at three of their last 15 FIFA World Cup tournaments (D5 L7) and have won just three out of 12 matches at the World Cup since they won the trophy in 2010 (D6 L3).

FIFA World Cup Stats Opta

Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.

Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.