If any group has delivered surprises so far, it’s Group H. Pre-tournament favorite Spain was held to a shock 0-0 draw by World Cup debutant Cape Verde, while Uruguay and Saudi Arabia also shared the points in a 1-1 draw. As a result, all four teams are level after the opening round of matches.

Cape Verde’s historic first World Cup game could hardly have gone better. Goalkeeper Vozinha produced a string of saves as the African nation frustrated the European champions, who dominated possession and created numerous chances but could not find a breakthrough.

Later in Miami, Saudi Arabia looked set for a famous victory when Abdulelah Al Amri capitalized on a goalkeeping error to put his side ahead before halftime. Uruguay eventually rescued a point through Maximiliano Araújo’s late equalizer, but Marcelo Bielsa’s men were far from convincing.

With every team sitting on one point, Matchday 2 suddenly becomes crucial. Spain faces Saudi Arabia knowing another slip-up could leave the tournament favorite in real danger, while Cape Verde has the chance to build on its dream start against Uruguay.

Group H: results

• Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
• Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay

Group H: standings

After the first matchups in the group, the table looks like this:

Group H: remaining games

• June 21: Spain vs Saudi Arabia
• June 21: Uruguay vs Cape Verde
• June 26: Uruguay vs Spain
• June 26: Cape Verde vs Saudi Arabia

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