Spain stumble in their World Cup opener as Cape Verde shine
Spain floundered in its World Cup opener against Cape Verde. Not even Lamine’s entry fixed the poor showing in Atlanta.
The AI said Spain were favourites to win the World Cup. What it didn’t say was how much they would suffer to get there. There is a certain irony in that prediction: Spain’s supposed overwhelming superiority over Cape Verde was reduced to a dismal 0-0 draw that leaves more questions than answers. A Spain without soul, limited to just seven shots on target. Powerless. The big favourites to lift the trophy? Put that headline back in the drawer, because on the first climb this World Cup already feels like climbing a sheer mountainside.
The World Cup is a heavyweight stage that sometimes, often I would argue, forces teams into strange places. Even when you try to appear relaxed, the tension is always there. That was how the Spain-Cape Verde match began, with the ball refusing to flow through the usual patterns of Luis de la Fuente’s side. They passed and passed, as if following a familiar script, but soon resorted to long shots from Laporte, something far removed from Spain’s footballing DNA. A worrying sign.
You have to go to a World Cup with everything available, so De la Fuente saw fit to start Gavi. He did so at the expense of Baena, who had been the preferred option until Nico returned to the starting XI after recovering from his physical problems. On paper, it made sense when the line-ups were announced. Gavi presses, bites, and raises the intensity of everyone around him, and he arrives at the end of the season in good form.
However, the first 25 minutes were enough (hydration breaks now make World Cup matches feel like NBA Finals games) to show that this experiment, Gavi tucked into the left flank, did not quite work. Even less so as Spain’s play drifted into a slow, predictable rhythm that failed to trouble the disciplined low block organised by Bubista. Vozinha, the Cape Verde goalkeeper, had barely been tested by the half-hour mark. And ‘this is the leading candidate to be champion in New Jersey?’ people watching in Buenos Aires, New York or London might have wondered.
There was a small amber warning light flashing: by that point Rodri had already lost the ball four times. Rodri, usually a constant certainty regardless of circumstances. That warning did not escalate, but one move briefly lit up La Roja’s attack. Cucurella made an underlapping run and headed the ball back for Ferran, who struck from virtually on the goal line. Inexplicably, it crashed against the crossbar just as the goal was being celebrated. The rebound fell to Oyarzabal, whose header forced Vozinha into a superb save. Ferran and Laporte both had further chances in the next five minutes, but the half-time whistle arrived before Spain could capitalise. “The door is Moreira,” De la Fuente might have written in his notebook, as attacks down the right-hand side appeared the clearest route to goal.
The second half began with one eye on the pitch and another on the bench, where Lamine Yamal was already warming up. “Talk, talk,” could be heard through the pitchside microphone, while mistakes multiplied: two Spain players in the same space, three chasing the same ball. That is what anxiety looks like.
Da Costa replaced Livramento, Cape Verde’s attacking outlet, and the Blue Sharks dropped deeper, sensing a draw, or perhaps more, coming into view. Meanwhile, Spain’s warning light turned from amber to red, leaving little choice but to turn to the bench. Minute 69: Lamine on. In other words, the hopes of a country of nearly 50 million people placed on the shoulders of an 18-year-old, on his World Cup debut, against Cape Verde.
Alongside Lamine, Merino also entered, with Gavi and Fabián making way. Twenty minutes remained to fix the mess and find a goal that would allow them to return to Chattanooga without ghosts under the seats. But it did not happen, so the ghosts remain. And they will stay at least until next Sunday.
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- 23 Unai Simón
- 22 Cubarsí
- 5 Marcos Llorente
- 14 Laporte
- 24 Cucurella
- 16 Rodrigo (86')
- 20 Pedri
- 8 Fabián (70')
- 9 Gavi (70')
- 7 Ferran (80')
- 21 Oyarzabal
- Substitutes
- 15 Álex Baena
- 13 Joan Garcia
- 11 Yeremy Pino
- 10 Dani Olmo (80')
- 25 Víctor Muñoz
- 6 Merino (70')
- 26 Borja Iglesias
- 17 Nico Williams (86')
- 12 Pedro Porro
- 1 David Raya
- 3 Grimaldo
- 18 Martín Zubimendi
- 4 Eric Garcia
- 2 Pubill
- 19 Lamine Yamal (70')
- 1 Vozinha
- 22 Steven Moreira
- 4 Pico Lopes
- 3 Diney
- 13 Sidny Cabral (75')
- 6 Kevin
- 10 Jamiro Monteiro (78')
- 20 Ryan Mendes
- 7 Jovane Cabral (60')
- 15 Laros Duarte (60')
- 19 Dailon Livramento (60')
- Substitutes
- 23 CJ dos Santos
- 11 Rodrigues
- 18 Telmo Arcanjo (78')
- 17 Willy Semedo (60')
- 12 Márcio Rosa
- 5 Logan Costa
- 2 Stopira
- 25 Kelvin Pires
- 8 João Paulo (75')
- 26 Hélio Varela
- 24 Wagner Pina
- 21 Joia Nuno Da Costa (60')
- 9 Gilson Benchimol
- 14 Deroy Duarte (60')
- 16 Yannick Semedo
Substitutions
Willy Semedo (60', Jovane Cabral), Deroy Duarte (60', Laros Duarte), Nuno da Costa (60', Dailon Livramento), Mikel Merino (70', Fabián Ruiz), Lamine Yamal (70', Gavi), João Paulo (75', Sidny Cabral), Telmo Arcanjo (78', Jamiro Monteiro), Dani Olmo (80', Ferran Torres), Nico Williams (86', Rodri)
Cards
Referee: Adham Mohammad Tumah Makhadmeh
VAR Referee: Joe Dickerson, Khamis Al Marri
Sidny Cabral (15',Yellow), Pedri (92',Yellow)
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