Vozinha shuts out Spain and Cape Verde's World Cup starts with a point

Vozinha, the wall that held Spain

Cape Verde's World Cup debut ended with a clean sheet against Spain. Vozinha was the reason. The goalkeeper stopped everything the 2010 champions threw at him, and the match ended in a draw (2). Spain could not score, your team walked away with a point from the Group H opener that nobody outside the Cape Verdean diaspora saw coming.

A mural for the national hero

Vozinha did not just get headlines. He got a mural in Cape Verde (2). The image of the goalkeeper is now painted large, a permanent mark of what he did against one of the world's great football nations. His family gathered together to watch him deliver the performance of a lifetime (3).

Gavi defends Cape Verde: 'Portugal drew and didn't get half the criticism'

Spain were hammered in their own press after failing to beat a World Cup debutant. Gavi pushed back. The Spain midfielder told reporters the reaction was overblown, pointing out that Portugal also drew and walked away without the same backlash (1). His comment is backhanded respect, Spain's own players know your team earned that point.

Bielsa: 'A team of character'

Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa praised Cape Verde ahead of Sunday's Group H meeting. "Es un equipo de carácter", a team of character (5). He is not being polite. Uruguay face Cape Verde on Sunday and Bielsa is expected to bring Nicolás De la Cruz and Canobbio into his lineup after changes in their opening match against Saudi Arabia (4).

Spain injuries: Yamal not ready, Munoz out

Lamine Yamal admitted he is not fit to play 90 minutes at this tournament (7). Spain forward Munoz, the new Liverpool signing, is set to miss more of the World Cup with an injury setback (6). Spain are wounded, and Cape Verde already took a point from them. The group picture looks different now.

Fan reactions

Neutral fans are loving the 48-team World Cup, and Cape Verde are a big reason why. The Spain draw is being talked about as exactly the kind of matchup the expanded format was meant to deliver, debutants standing tall against giants. One fan on Reddit put it simply: the lineups have been really fun, and we wouldn't have gotten them without the extra teams.