Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha delivered a standout display to secure a 0-0 draw with Spain in their first World Cup match, frustrating the European champions in Atlanta. Spain entered as strong favourites but failed to convert 27 attempts, while World Cup debutants Cape Verde gained a valuable point in Group H, leaving all four teams level after the opening round of fixtures.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper, who plays for GD Chaves in Portugal’s second tier, made seven saves and repeatedly denied Spain’s attackers. His performance earned the Player of the Match award and created new World Cup history, with Vozinha becoming the oldest player to feature in a nation’s first game at the tournament, surpassing Eloy Room’s record set for Curacao at 37 years and 182 days.

Vozinha’s seven saves also placed the veteran alongside a select group in tournament records. Since detailed data started in 1966, only two goalkeepers aged 40 or over have made at least seven saves in a World Cup game. The other is Pat Jennings, who recorded 10 saves for Northern Ireland against Brazil in 1986, on Jennings’ 41st birthday.

Spain’s dominance in possession and chances did not bring goals, matching an unwanted mark from past tournaments. Their 27 shots equalled Spain’s joint-highest total without scoring at a World Cup, alongside the 27 attempts recorded in a 0-0 draw with Paraguay in 1998. Even the introduction of Lamine Yamal as a 71st-minute substitute, after injury, could not change the result.

Pre-match projections underlined how surprising the result was. The Opta supercomputer rated Spain as overwhelming favourites, giving Luis de la Fuente’s side an 87.2% chance of winning. Cape Verde, ranked 67th in the world compared to Spain’s second place, received only an 8.1% probability of earning a draw, highlighting how the scoreline defied most forecasts.

The wider tournament context also stressed the scale of the achievement for Cape Verde. Vozinha, aged 40 years and 12 days on matchday, set a landmark as the oldest player to appear in a country’s debut World Cup fixture. Only Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, who was 45 years and 161 days when making a World Cup debut, has been older in any first appearance at the finals.

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World Cup Cape Verde Spain reaction from Vozinha and emotional family story

Speaking to Fox after the game, Vozinha explained what the night meant personally and for Cape Verde football. He linked the performance to years of work and the efforts of previous generations who had chased the same stage without qualifying, describing the result as the fulfilment of a shared ambition for the national team.

“I worked hard all my life for this, for this moment, for this dream. A lot of generations in the past were dreaming of this, they didn’t achieve it, many ex-players from our national team… and now the dream has come true.”

Vozinha then spoke in detail about the emotions behind his Player of the Match award and the family members who influenced the journey. The goalkeeper said the game carried extra weight because some relatives who shaped Vozinha’s life were not present in the stadium, either due to their passing or travel issues.

“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents. Unfortunately, they were not here. They died a few years before. They were everything to me. And also, because of my mum. She didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money you have to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage on time. I would have liked her to be here. Our best weapon is our unity. Regardless of the player who arrives today, or the player who is 10 or 15 years old, the way we treat our family is our greatest strength. Everyone thought that we came here just to enjoy the World Cup, but no, we know that we face teams that we will always respect, because this is our first time, but we are here to compete, and we are here to fight for our country.”

World Cup Cape Verde Spain response from Luis de la Fuente and future fixtures

On the Spain side, the draw represented a disappointing start to a campaign where expectations remain high. However, head coach Luis de la Fuente insisted there was no reason for alarm. De la Fuente pointed to the team’s unbeaten sequence and stressed that Spain would learn from the display rather than overreact to one result.

“This [Spain] team is reliable, whatever happens, de la Fuente said. We haven’t lost in 32 matches. We’ll be better in the next game, for sure. When you lack freshness, this can happen. It’s something to improve, nothing else. We’ll stay on our path, which has taken us this far. In this World Cup, there is extreme equality and difficulty. This team was clearly inferior to us, but they did the things they had to do well. We’re calm. This is a long tournament, and in our heads, we’ve still got seven games left.”

The Group H standings now show Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia and Uruguay level on one point after their opening matches. Spain next face Saudi Arabia on Sunday in a fixture that could define their route through the group. Cape Verde will meet Uruguay on the same day, carrying fresh confidence from holding one of the leading contenders scoreless.