FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[BIT-BENDER]

I know that mistakes happens but Ferran Torres seems to regularly miss clear cut chances where it is easier to succeed than to miss, another question is that what is The Spanish team without Lamine Yamal, this is Cabo Verde and this is there first time in the world cup and Spain hasn't yet scored a goal.
The second half will be very different as the Cabo Verde players would be very tired and they have to bring in some of there reserve team who are obviously not on the same level with the starting squad.

[virasog]

I know many don't see Cape Verde as an advantage, but it's a country that can surprise. I know the absolute advantage is with Spain. I'm surprised Luis de la Fuente didn't field the toughest players like Yamal and Nico. It's difficult to know what a coach is thinking, but we have to accept it. So far, I'm also surprised they haven't scored any goals, but come on, Cape Verde has a 5-4-1 formation, their defense is very strong, and the Spaniards haven't been able to break through that line.

Cape Verde is surviving this game only because of their Goalkeeper. He is alone stop each and every shot of goal and Spain are still goal-less at the end of the first half. Spain has the upper hand with 70% of the ball possession and they are only attacking but still unable to find the net. If somehow Cape Verde can defend another 45 mins, it will be a miracle and so good for them.

If i am not wrong, it is Vozinha alone against the Spain eleven players. He is too good today and stopped few of the goals that were certain goals but he didn't let Spain a lead.

[Smack That Ace]

I know that mistakes happens but Ferran Torres seems to regularly miss clear cut chances where it is easier to succeed than to miss, another question is that what is The Spanish team without Lamine Yamal, this is Cabo Verde and this is there first time in the world cup and Spain hasn't yet scored a goal.
The second half will be very different as the Cabo Verde players would be very tired and they have to bring in some of there reserve team who are obviously not on the same level with the starting squad.

I don't know why Spain has formed such a starting XI today. Manager de Fuente did not keep three very important players like Olmo, Yamal and Williams in the starting XI. Fuente probably considered Cape Verde a weak opponent.

Spain could not score any goals in the first half. Many thought that Spain would win by a large margin. But despite a lot of attacks, they could not score any goals. Both the defense and the goalkeeper of Cape Verde have performed exceptionally well so far. Goalkeeper Vozinha has made four saves so far.

[Varnquister]

Spain finished the first half scoreless against their opponent. I’m honestly surprised that Spain, which started the match completely dominating, still hasn’t scored. We can say that their opponent is one of the weakest teams in the tournament, but as of the 54th minute, Spain still hasn’t scored. Spain has a strong squad and is likely to finish first in this group, but if they fail to win this match, things might take a slight turn.

[Mayor of ogba]

Spain are playing unbelievably poor football, allowing most of their chances go begging. It's crazy how you'd have a strong squad and fail to break the defense of a team that's not a match for your B or C squad. Spain have underestimated the Cabo Verde team do bad and they are paying for it and it's very obvious that first half will be goalless.

If someone had told me before the start of the Spain and Cape Verde Town match that Spain would play a goalless draw against Cape Verde Town at half time I wouldn't have agree with the person, I'm so surprised that Spain couldn't find Cape Verde Town's net in the first 45 minutes because Cape Verde Town isn't a match for Spain but Spain is here find it difficult to take a lead against a weak side like Cape Verde Town.

[Creeper0]

I know that mistakes happens but Ferran Torres seems to regularly miss clear cut chances where it is easier to succeed than to miss, another question is that what is The Spanish team without Lamine Yamal, this is Cabo Verde and this is there first time in the world cup and Spain hasn't yet scored a goal.
The second half will be very different as the Cabo Verde players would be very tired and they have to bring in some of there reserve team who are obviously not on the same level with the starting squad.

Spain looks very aggressive, but I don't see any effectiveness in it. The second half has started and they have tried to attack several times in a very short time, but none of them have hit the target. If this continues, Spain may lose points in the first match. Nothing can be said yet, but this young team may end the match with a draw. The main reason for this is that they have wasted clear chances repeatedly.

I won't say that Cabo Verde is playing great or has built a great defense. Rather, Spain's random shots have kept Spain goalless. Even without Lamine Yamal, their attack line seems completely disorganized. In his absence, I feel the lack of great assists.

[jakdanyel]

Spain finished the first half scoreless against their opponent. I’m honestly surprised that Spain, which started the match completely dominating, still hasn’t scored. We can say that their opponent is one of the weakest teams in the tournament, but as of the 54th minute, Spain still hasn’t scored. Spain has a strong squad and is likely to finish first in this group, but if they fail to win this match, things might take a slight turn.

Still no goal in the match! It's kind of unbelievable you know. They aren't playing against a tough opponent technically. But they are having a serious difficulty in putting the ball into the back of the net.  

I can't imagine how many people in the world bet on goals for this match. Including Spain to win by at least a few goals and so...

Yamal isn't still playing. Didn't actually he recover already? Why don't we see him?

[Danica22]

If someone had told me before the start of the Spain and Cape Verde Town match that Spain would play a goalless draw against Cape Verde Town in the first half I wouldn't have agree with the person, I'm so surprised that Spain couldn't find Cape Verde Town's net in the first 45 minutes because Cape Verde Town isn't a match for Spain but Spain is here find it difficult to take a lead against a weak side like Cape Verde Town.

Most people thought that spain would play well and  win by a big margin like Germany. But now the scenario is completely different. I wouldn't be surprised if spain is in the same situation as Brazil. Will Spain fail to win against a team like Cabe verde ? It is possible. We haven't seen a single goal in 60 minutes. Cabe verde are trying their best to draw the match. They are playing completely defensively. All 10  players are playing as defenders. It is very difficult to score against such a defensive  strategy.

[retreat]

Honestly after watching Brazil, with that performance I don’t think they will make it to even the semi finals. For me they really under Perform and even created very little chance in that match. Morocco really played well and created much chances, they Should have won that game for me. Now they are really under pressure, but I still have the believe they will qualify out of the group stage.

Brazil's performance was indeed quite disappointing because, despite having a better squad, they were held to a draw by Morocco, in fact, Morocco played more convincingly. So their performance yesterday wasn't quite what was expected, as people hoped they could play even better than that, especially with Raphinha and Vinícius up front, they should have been able to create more scoring opportunities. They clearly need to evaluate their play immediately, because if they don't, they'll just keep playing like this in the next match.

[snipie]

I can't imagine how many people in the world bet on goals for this match. Including Spain to win by at least a few goals and so...

I still fail to understand what's going on with Spain totally dominating a weak squad, yet failing to score any goal. This game is theoretically feasible with two goals at least in each half.
I understand the goalkeeper of Cape Verde is doing good but c'mon seriously we are talking about 15 shots including 6 on target. What would be the result if their opponent's squad was good?

Yamal isn't still playing. Didn't actually he recover already? Why don't we see him?

He is in right now. I suppose the coach wasn't expecting to see his team failing to score so he wants to rest him for longer time. At the end, he pushed him to create an opportunity to score, hopefully..

[IceLincoln]

Cape Verde are a strong attacking side and have been playing good football in recent times but today they know their weight and are doing quite okay. What we’re witnessing right now was expected. Spain has to up their game if they’re to take anything away from this game cos Cape Verde has the potential to upset them.
I know this isn’t what most people anticipated will happen, many probably thought it’ll be 3:0 by now.

[Varnquister]

France must win against Senegal to top the group. There’s a tough opponent like Norway in the group, and I think Senegal is a team that can give France a run for their money. I’m honestly curious to see how the top two spots in this group will play out. Of course, France is the favorite—they have an absolutely stellar roster—and we mustn’t forget that they’re worth roughly four times as much as Senegal. Senegal will pull out all the stops in this match, but I don’t think they’ll be able to defeat France.

[Minor Miner]

Cape Verde are a strong attacking side and have been playing good football in recent times but today they know their weight and are doing quite okay. What we’re witnessing right now was expected. Spain has to up their game if they’re to take anything away from this game cos Cape Verde has the potential to upset them.
I know this isn’t what most people anticipated will happen, many probably thought it’ll be 3:0 by now.

Spain was considered the  most stable squad in this world cup. But their weakness  was quite obvious in the first match. Cabe verde is not attacking much. So Spain's defenders are not under much pressure today. But Spain's attacking players are not able to break verde's defense in any way.

The match is  still goalless at 70 minutes. Spain is  still continuing their attack. Spain will try to win until the last second of the match. Cabe verde is very tactical. So Spain's players are not able to find the  weakness in Verde's defense.

[Sandra_hakeem]

You want to know my opinion? First of all, I'm not trying to underestimate any team here but does Spain think this is a ballon d'Or tournament? What's the point of building a squad as solid as this against poor Cabo Verde? They only appeared in the world for the first time in 2022, so this is their second trial, with a limited experience. 5-0, 4-0, 7-2 is that what you want. I don't know a single player from that country that knows ball, so this is already a walk over match for Spain.

Cape Verde beat Cameroon, Serbia, Angola, and other small teams. They drew with Egypt, Georgia, and Iran. I don't think Spain will have an easy game. Spain may have more advantage considering that they have some of the best players and an experienced team. But my opinion is that Cape Verde shouldn't be overlooked. After this game, we will know their quality.

Now I understand how tough such an unpopular team can be. It's the 79th minute and they're still struggling both with no goals to reconcile. Also, another reason never to underestimate a team no matter how unpopular the names on their shirt might look. Sometimes, it's not about the player's legacy in previous matches, but about how determined they are in that particular match to win. I won't be surprised to see an update that Cabo Verde scored a dying minute goal. It seems football is really taking a big turn because I know too well what Reino de España would have done to any other team by now.

[W Jr.]

You want to know my opinion? First of all, I'm not trying to underestimate any team here but does Spain think this is a ballon d'Or tournament? What's the point of building a squad as solid as this against poor Cabo Verde? They only appeared in the world for the first time in 2022, so this is their second trial, with a limited experience. 5-0, 4-0, 7-2 is that what you want. I don't know a single player from that country that knows ball, so this is already a walk over match for Spain.

Cape Verde beat Cameroon, Serbia, Angola, and other small teams. They drew with Egypt, Georgia, and Iran. I don't think Spain will have an easy game. Spain may have more advantage considering that they have some of the best players and an experienced team. But my opinion is that Cape Verde shouldn't be overlooked. After this game, we will know their quality.

Now I understand how tough such an unpopular team can be. It's the 79th minute and they're still struggling both with no goals to reconcile. Also, another reason never to underestimate a team no matter how unpopular the names on their shirt might look. Sometimes, it's not about the player's legacy in previous matches, but about how determined they are in that particular match to win. I won't be surprised to see an update that Cabo Verde scored a dying minute goal. It seems football is really taking a big turn because I know too well what Reino de España would have done to any other team by now.

I was skeptical about Spain because they drew with Iraq in a friendly match. Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup and wants to at least get points in every game. So far, everything is going very well against Spain, and there's very little time left in the match. If they can get points from Spain, it will be a historic match for them. For now, everything is going their way.

[pawel7777]

Brazil's split points with Morocco could've been seen as a big upset, but Morocco are not as weak as many think they are and, before the game, bookies gave them decent chances. They were an underdog, but not that big.
Looking at the game's stats, it could seem that it was a very even game, but it was Brazil who had more good scoring opportunities, just couldn't turn many of them into goals.
So I wouldn't write them off just yet, although, compared to other football powerhouses, their first game was not that impressive and they have a lot of adjusting to do.

Their next game is against Haiti, who was considered one of the weakest teams in the tournament, but their first game against Scotland proved they know how to play football. They lost 1-0 but dominated in shots on goal (13 Vs , so it might not be a walk in the park for Brazil.

Odds for the remaining two games of today (from Winna.com):

Belgium x1.57 Vs Egypt x6.40; Draw x4.20
Saudi Arabia x8.40 Vs Uruguay x1.44; Draw x4.50

[Koal-84]

I don't even know where Cape Verde is, but this is probably the biggest surprise of the World Cup so far, and also the first scoreless match of the tournament. But Spain had 74% possession and didn't capitalize on it, much like in the Switzerland game.

[Soonandwaite]

what a match... what a disgrace for Spain – only a 0–0 draw against Cape Verde. who predicted a 0–0 draw?
i reckon whoever did must have won a fortune today. hats off to the underdogs. 

[Bluedrem]

I was skeptical about Spain because they drew with Iraq in a friendly match. Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup and wants to at least get points in every game. So far, everything is going very well against Spain, and there's very little time left in the match. If they can get points from Spain, it will be a historic match for them. For now, everything is going their way.

Cabo Verde finally held off Spain. The main credit for the goalless draw in today's match goes to Cabo Verde's goalkeeper as he almost single-handedly kept the team from scoring and made some great saves.
Spain tried hard to score towards the end but ultimately failed to score. Cabo Verde's defense played great although they were very few in number and were able to create an attack against Spain but they stopped every attack from Spain. Yes, this is a historic draw for Cabo Verde as they were able to snatch a point from Spain.

[Shussainshah]

Spain finished the first half scoreless against their opponent. I’m honestly surprised that Spain, which started the match completely dominating, still hasn’t scored. We can say that their opponent is one of the weakest teams in the tournament, but as of the 54th minute, Spain still hasn’t scored. Spain has a strong squad and is likely to finish first in this group, but if they fail to win this match, things might take a slight turn.

Very disappointed match I didn't expect that's from Spain to start the worldcup in that's style. They didn't even find 1 goal. I think this team can be disappointed in this worldcup. They are favourite to win this competition at 18% chance above them France and Portugal. But this Spain team have problems. I think we can talk about yamal as well. It's has debut matchs but they play and show has importance. But I think de la funtae tactics is working very well on this Spain team . Hope they can't drop points in the upcoming matches.