“A disaster to begin with”, said the Spanish newspaper Marca about the national team’s 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, this Monday (15), for the 2026 World Cup.
Jose Luis Hurtado began his report in the sports daily: “An unrecognizable Spain, without football, ideas and resources, was unable to score a goal in Cape Verde, a lively group that gave the big surprise of this World Cup.”
After calling the Cape Verdean feat a “sporting miracle”, the Marca journalist made a tennis metaphor: “It’s as if a friend from a multi-sport center had defeated the best Rafa Nadal”.
A little less dramatic, the newspaper El País lamented the draw with a “humble” team.
“Luis de la Fuente’s men accumulated possession of the ball in Atlanta, but were unable to find the goal against a team that had never played in a World Cup match,” highlighted the Spanish newspaper.
El País considered Spain “slow in circulating the ball” and pointed out that beating Saudi Arabia is now mandatory so as not to further complicate the classification.
The pessimism extended to the Catalan daily La Vanguardia.
“It’s not how you start, but how you finish. Agreed. But, if it starts so badly, reversing the situation will not be an easy task,” wrote Luis Buxeres.
La Vanguardia also dedicated a series of praises to goalkeeper sensation Vozinha: “a giant”, “tremendous reflexes”, “new national hero in the Atlantic”.
