In stunning result, Cape Verde draws favorite Spain in World Cup opener

Cape Verde is the smallest country by land to qualify for this year’s World Cup.

And it just delivered one of the biggest results of this young tournament.

The African island nation pulled off a stunning result in its debut, shutting out heavily favored Spain in Atlanta.

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An impressive performance by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha helped Cape Verde play one of the favorites to in the tournament to a 0-0 draw. The final score is the biggest shock of the tournament so far.

Cape Verde actually had a chance to in the game, but Diney Borges’ late header was saved by Spain keeper Unai Simon.

European champion Spain’s roster is filled with superstar players. But they were frustrated by the underdogs from Cape Verde, with Vozinha pulling off a string of saves before halftime.

Barcelona forward Ferran Torres came closest to scoring for Spain, hitting the bar with shot and later forcing a save from Vozinha on another well-struck ball.

The keeper also denied Pedri and pushed away another potential score late in the half.

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Cape Verde — a group of islands with around half a million inhabitants — is playing at its first World Cup.

The 2010 champion Spain is aiming to win the World Cup for a second time, but coach Luis de la Fuente warned on Sunday that Cape Verde could be one of the surprise teams of the tournament.

Cape Verde continued to defend stubbornly in the second half and not even teenage star Lamine Yamal could turn the game Spain’s way after he entered the match.

In Brockton, where more than 15 percent of the city’s population has Cape Verdean heritage, fans took to the streets to celebrate the result.

Cape Verde was not expected to advance out of Group H, where it was placed with Spain, Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The top two finishers in each group, plus the eight best third-place finishers in all groups, will make it to the Round of 32. Cape Verde picked up one point with Monday’s tie.

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