06/15/26 02:40:00
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06/15 14:39 CDT Cape Verde stuns Spain with a surprising 0-0 draw in the
country's World Cup debut
Cape Verde stuns Spain with a surprising 0-0 draw in the country's World Cup
debut
By JAMES ROBSON
AP Soccer Writer
ATLANTA (AP) --- So much for a supersized World Cup diluting the quality of
soccer's biggest tournament.
Tiny Cape Verde, making its debut at the World Cup, pulled off a stunning upset
to shut out heavily favored Spain in a 0-0 draw on Monday.
"This means everything for our country," said Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitao
Brito. "We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our
team and we have shown organization and braveness and this is proof of what our
country is about --- resilience and to try to overcome hardships."
European champion Spain is one of the favorites to win the tournament and was
-1200 to beat Cape Verde in its opening game. But it could not find a way past
a 40-year-old goalkeeper and a stubborn defense that had an answer to
everything Spain's superstars threw at them.
Not even sensational teenager Lamine Yamal, who came in off the bench in the
second half, could turn a game that ended with wild and emotional celebrations
from Cape Verde players and fans inside the stadium.
"A dream" was how Cape Verde defender Steven Moreira described it.
Veteran goalkeeper Vozinha broke down in tears after the final whistle
following his impressive performance to keep Spain at bay.
He was the player of the match, pulling off a string of saves at the end of the
first half to deny Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte.
The closest Spain came to finding a breakthrough was when Torres struck the bar
shortly before halftime.
"We should have won today's match with everything that happened, with all the
favorable situations we created, but we lacked freshness and a clinical edge,"
said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, who had warned before the match that Cape
Verde could be one of the surprise teams of the World Cup.
Spain could have been the victim of an even bigger upset when Diney Borges had
a late chance to win the game, but saw his header saved by Spain keeper Unai
Simon.
Cape Verde's performance rebuked some of the criticisms that the expansion of
the World Cup from 32 teams to 48 would weaken the tournament.
A group of islands with around half a million inhabitants is the third smallest
nation to qualify for the tournament. And even against a Spain team that is
filled with superstar players, Cape Verde proved its worth on soccer's biggest
stage.
"All of us, we are happy because we work a lot to be here. We deserve to be
here," said Vozinha.
The 2010 champion Spain is aiming to win the World Cup for a second time, but a
disappointing start echoes its performances in recent tournaments when it has
failed to advance beyond the round of 16 in each of the last three editions.
"What doubts do you think my team is going to have? Zero doubts," said De la
Fuente. "We know how difficult this competition is. The idea we need to follow
is what took us here and what made us European champions."
Spain plays Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Cape Verde faces Uruguay.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
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