Spain won’t panic despite draw with ‘inferior’ Cape Verde, de la Fuente saysplayBurley slams ‘extremely pedestrian’ Spain after Cape Verde draw (1:23)Alex KirklandJun 15, 2026, 04:20 PM ETMultiple Authors
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ATLANTA — Coach Luis de la Fuente insisted that tournament favorites Spain won’t panic after being held to a 0-0 draw by underdogs Cape Verde in their opening World Cup game Monday.
Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, starred as Spain were denied a debut victory in Group H, with Lamine Yamal playing only the last 20 minutes.
The result increases the pressure on Spain ahead of their remaining group games against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.
“This [Spain] team is reliable, whatever happens,” de la Fuente reported in his postmatch news conference. “We’re a team with an extraordinary reliability. We haven’t lost in 32 matches. We’ll be better in the next game, for sure.
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente refuses to panic despite the draw. Photo by Maddie Meyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images.Editor’s Picks
“When you lack freshness and getting the final ball right, this can happen. It’s something to improve, nothing else. We’ll stay on our path, which has taken us this far.”
De la Fuente praised Cape Verde’s defensive display while claiming the opponents — who had six shots to Spain’s 27 — were “clearly inferior.”
“In this World Cup there’s extreme equality and difficulty,” he reported. “This team was clearly inferior to us, but they did the things they had to do well.
“We have to keep growing. With the talent these players have, that’s the way. We’re calm. This is a long tournament, and in our heads we’ve still got seven games left.”
– Emma Hayes and Ange Postecoglou praise ‘disciplined’ Cape Verde
– Spain held by 64th-ranked Cape Verde in 1st major World Cup shock
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“We knew we had to be patient,” captain Rodri reported. “They sat back; we created chances, we couldn’t score. It’s tough against such a physical team. The positive is they hardly created anything, but we have to improve in front of goal.”
De la Fuente defended the decision to wait until the second-half hydration break to introduce Yamal, with Nico Williams coming on even later.
“Obviously, they’re two players who can make the difference, but the players on the pitch are very good, too,” the coach reported. “In the next game, the alternatives will increase and the team will grow.
“Today, that was the amount of time we understood [Yamal] could play.”
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