Spain coach Luis de la Fuente rued his side’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal after the European champions were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde in their World Cup opener this afternoon.
It was a stunning result for the small island nation off the west coast of Africa and one they will celebrate with gusto.
Some brilliant defending, coupled with heroic goalkeeping from 40-year-old Vozinha, meant Spain were kept out in what resembled an attack versus defence drill for much of a one-sided encounter in Atlanta.
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were both introduced off the bench late on but were unable to alter the outcome as Cape Verde held on for a famous point on their World Cup debut.
“We have to keep focusing on the same idea,” De la Fuente told La 1. “We created a lot of chances, but we lacked finesse. They are very organised, they sat deep, and it was very difficult to create space.
“We lacked movement and freshness, but when the ball won’t go in, it just won’t go in. There were shots, chances, and a desire to finish the game quickly. We know this is very difficult, and it’s incredibly hard to win at the World Cup.
“Cape Verde were a very physically strong team. We knew they were going to set up with a very low block and with very powerful players. If you add to that the fact that we lacked freshness, then this happens. Football is like that — there are no small opponents here.”
Spain boss hoping Yamal can start against Saudi Arabia
Spain had 27 shots across a frustrating 90 minutes – their joint most without finding the net in a World Cup match since 1966.
De la Fuente will be hoping Yamal and Williams will be fit to start Sunday’s game with Saudi Arabia.
He added: “The goal is to gradually integrate them and give them playing time. I’m sure they’ll be better against Saudi Arabia, in the next match, and in the rest.
“We’re certain they are fine. We wanted to wait for the right moment. The game called for their involvement. It’s very important not just for what they give us on the football side, but also because psychologically we hurt the opposition.”
Rodri wore the captain’s armband for Spain and the Manchester City midfielder also rued Spain’s inefficiency in front of goal.
He said: ”How do matches open up like this? It depends. It depends on the players’ inspiration, on whether we’re sharp … that’s football too. The team tried, I think we had good fluidity. It’s about fine tuning those chances we created because against a team that sits back so much you’re not going to have many, and you know you have to take them. It’s that simple.”
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