Emma Hayes described Cape Verde’s historic goalless draw against Spain as a “victory for immigration” as the African nation produced one of the tournament’s biggest shocks so far, holding the reigning European champions in their opening World Cup match in Atlanta.
Cape Verde, appearing at the FIFA finals for the first time and with a population of just 529,000, defied all expectations against Luis de la Fuente’s side at the Atlanta stadium in Georgia on Monday night. Spain dominated possession and created numerous chances, amassing 23 shots at goal with eight on target, but were repeatedly denied by goalkeeper Vozhino, who made seven saves in a performance that has since made him a global sensation. The 40-year-old became the oldest goalkeeper ever to keep a clean sheet on a World Cup debut, and his heroics translated into an extraordinary online following — his Instagram account grew from 50,000 followers before the match to more than six million in its aftermath.
Even the introduction of teenage superstar Lamine Yamal for the final 20 minutes could not unlock Cape Verde’s defence, with the African side holding firm until the final whistle.
Reacting to the result on ITV, Hayes, who manages the US women’s national team, said: “This is a victory for immigration and for the quality of a team that have been put together from all over the world that are representing their crest.” The former Chelsea manager was emphatic that Cape Verde had earned their result rather than stolen it. “It wasn’t a fortunate result, it was well earned. Not at any moment did they jump out of areas in the wrong moments. They stuck to their task, they were disciplined, they were aggressive, they had very good transition moments.”
Fellow ITV pundit and former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou was similarly struck by the determination Cape Verde showed throughout. “The greatest in sport and in football lies in the intangibles,” he said. “There was something inside those Cape Verde players that wasn’t going to let them yield today. We sat here and analysed the teams and you say, well, Spain should really win this comfortably, but we don’t have what they have inside them, in their hearts.”
Cape Verde qualified for the finals by topping their qualifying group, edging out previous quarter-finalists Cameroon in the process. At the time they represented the smallest nation ever to reach a World Cup, though that record has since been surpassed by Curacao, the Caribbean island nation with a population of just 155,000. The result in Atlanta leaves both Spain and Cape Verde on one point after the opening round of Group matches. Saudi Arabia had earlier drawn 1-1 with Uruguay in the group, meaning all four teams remain level. Cape Verde face Uruguay on Sunday night, with Spain taking on Saudi Arabia earlier the same day from 5pm UK time.
