CAF Sends Message to Cape Verde After Historic Draw vs Spain in World Cup Debut
- CAF has sent a message to Cape Verde after they held Spain to a draw in the 2026 FIFA World Cup match
- The Blue Sharks produced a defensive masterclass to secure a point against the favourites on their World Cup debut
- Cape Verde have Saudi Arabia and Uruguay remaining in their group and could secure a historic qualification
CAF sent a message to Cape Verde after they held Spain to a 0-0 draw in their FIFA World Cup debut at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 15.
The third smallest country in the 2026 FIFA World Cup went into the tournament with the odds stacked against them but they came out unscathed.
Source: Getty Images
They may not have done anything offensively, but they were disciplined defensively to secure a point with goalkeeper Vozinha turning up massively.
As noted by Opta Joe, the 40-year-old became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet on his World Cup debut, making seven saves to frustrate the European champions.
Celebrations erupted globally after the final whistle with the Blue Sharks receiving applause for holding the tournament’s favourites to a draw.
Vozinha explained why he cried
Vozinha was in tears at the final whistle after helping his country hold world power Spain to a historic draw on their World Cup debut.
The 40-year-old explained why he was emotional during the post-match conference.
“I cried after the game because I grew up with my grandparents when I was a kid, and they could not be there. They passed away a few years ago,” he said via The Athletic.
“My mum could not be here either for a VISA issue, and the money we had to pay for it. We did not manage to do this in time.”
CAF sends message to Cape Verde
Cape Verde are Africa’s little child at the tournament as they are in their debut tournament. They are the fifth African side to play and picked up a point.
CAF shared a post on their X page celebrating the historic achievement of the Blue Sharks on their first attempt on the global stage.
CAF also praised goalkeeper Vozinha and head coach Bulbista who was named the Coach of the Year at the 2025 CAF Awards in Morocco.
Bubista believes Cape Verde controlled the match Cape Verdean head coach Bubista claimed that his side controlled the game in their own way, even though Spain dominated the possession.
Source: Getty Images
“Of course, we can say that Spain had possession of the ball almost all of the time, but controlling the match is not just possession of the ball," Bubista told reporters via Reuters.
“We did it in a different way. Of course, we would have wanted to have more transitions for attack, but the Spanish team is quite difficult, so we are happy with this.”
Source: Legit.ng
