Cape Verde held Spain to a dramatic goalless draw in their Group H opener on Monday evening.
In a game that everyone thought Spain would take the islanders to the cleaners was a different ball game altogether as goalkeeper Vozinha produced heroic saves to deny the Europeans.
Spain’s Ferran Torres,Mikel Oyarzabal, and Marc Cucurella all had equal opportunities at goal but failed to score at point-blank range.
Merino and poster Lamine Yamal was introduced in the 70th minute to effect the game.
Cape Verde, though largely on the back foot, almost snatched a moment of surprise late on. In the 90th minute, Kevin Lenini struck from distance, only for his effort to be blocked. The rebound led to a Cape Verde corner, offering a rare attacking opportunity in a match dominated by Spanish pressure.
Spain and Cape Verde will now aim for wins in their remaining group matches against Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in hopes of advancing to the knockout stage of the tournament.
