Cape Verde shocked European champions Spain on day five of the 2026 World Cup, as they held La Roja to an unlikely draw.
Here are our Scout Notes from the game, which include match stats from our World Cup toolkit.
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SPAIN 0-0 CAPE VERDE
- Tackle bonus: Gavi, Monteiro
- Top points scorers: Vozinha (11), Laporte (9), Llorente (9), Moreira (9), Pico (9), Diney (9)
TEAM STATS
PLAYER STATS
SCOUT NOTES
- Spain had 27 shots in this match without finding the net, but it was all a bit pedestrian for La Roja, with too many sideways passes allowing Cape Verde to keep their defensive shape.
- When Luis de la Fuente’s men did threaten, Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha ($3.9m) was more than equal to it. In a brilliant display, the 40-year-old made seven saves to total 11 points, the most of any player on show in Atlanta.
- Lamine Yamal ($10.0m) and Nico Williams ($7.8m) both started on the bench for Spain after injury. Gavi ($6.5m) subsequently played off the left, but without their influential wingers, La Roja lacked pace and the x-factor needed to break Cape Verde down. Yamal came on for the final 20 minutes and looked lively, but Williams was restricted to a late cameo.
“I’m confident that Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams will be in better condition for the match against Saudi Arabia national football team, along with the rest of the players as well. That’s the objective we need to focus on in the short term. Today, the goal was to give them some minutes to help them gain confidence and match rhythm so they can be in better shape for future matches.” – Luis de la Fuente
- Ferran Torres ($7.8m) was particularly poor. He missed all four of his shots, which collectively amounted to 1.07 expected goals (xG). Mikel Oyarzabal ($8.1m) didn’t fare much better, either. He didn’t even touch the ball for the first 30 minutes.
- Marc Cucurella ($5.1m) was often the most dangerous player for Spain with his runs in behind. He was unlucky not to supply an assist, with two key passes.
- On top of their clean sheets, Aymeric Laporte ($5.5m) and Marcos Llorente ($5.5m) both banked two Scouting Bonus points.
- While much of the talk will focus on Spain’s wastefulness in front of goal, Cape Verde deserve real credit for their defensive display. Shamrock Rovers centre-back Pico ($3.7m) stood out by making 11 clearances.
- Further forward, we saw flashes of Cape Verde’s counter-attacking capabilities, although their final ball frequently let them down.
- Cape Verde will look to recreate Monday’s heroics when they face Uruguay in Round 2.
- Fantasy managers will have been underwhelmed by Spain’s attacking display, but they’ll hope to bounce back against Saudi Arabia in Round 2, potentially with Yamal and Williams in the starting XI.
