Cape Verde held tournament favorites Spain to a goalless draw in their World Cup debut on June 15 in Atlanta. Goalkeeper Vozinha, 40 years old, made seven crucial saves to preserve the clean sheet, becoming the second-oldest man ever to make his World Cup debut. Only Egypt's Essam El-Hadary was older upon debut. Since 1966, only Pat Jennings (age 40+) exceeded Vozinha's saves in a single World Cup match, recording ten stops against Brazil in 1986.
Spain's failure to break through underlines a broader offensive crisis. Since Alvaro Morata's goal against Japan in Qatar 2022, Spain have managed 49 shots and 2,500 completed passes without scoring, spanning a last-16 loss to Morocco and now the Cape Verde draw. Striker Mikel Oyarzabal, Euro 2024 champion, did not touch the ball in the opening 30 minutes.
Cape Verde's discipline was exceptional: they drew only one foul (Sidny Cabral's yellow card), the fewest fouls in a single World Cup match on record since 1966. Their defensive shape, organized by captain Ryan Mendes and center-backs Diney Borges and Dublin-born Pico Lopes (11 clearances, one goal-saving block), frustrated Spain's 27 attempts and prevented the expected rout.
The draw undermines Spain's tournament favoritism. Poor finishing combined with defensive lapses raises red flags for backers expecting a deep tournament run; odds on Spain winning the World Cup or topping Group H are likely to shift significantly following this result.