ATLANTA -- As Spain searched for their spark in their 2026 World Cup debut, the crowd waited for the team's star, Lamine Yamal.
The European champions had their moments in this 0-0 draw -- 27 shots, seven on target, 2.29 expected goals, with chances for Ferran Torres and Marc Cucurella very influential on the left. But overall, Spain struggled against a brave, well-organized opponent in Cape Verde, inspired by goalkeeper Vozinha (seven saves), who turned 40 just two weeks before the World Cup.
Ultimately, La Roja were missing Yamal. He has been everywhere in Atlanta, his image filling billboards on the sides of skyscrapers, but for 70 minutes here, he wasn't on the pitch, and you could tangibly feel his absence. Coach Luis de la Fuente had confirmed a day earlier that Yamal was fit but not yet ready to start. And the consequences were here for the world to see.
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Spain's visceral play in their most recent major tournament, Euro 2024, was built on the talent of flying wingers Yamal and Nico Williams. But this season, Williams has lost his form, while Yamal has been racing to recover from an injury sustained with Barcelona in April.
One of the doubts about Spain's World Cup prospects -- where they've been placed firmly among the tournament favorites for months -- has been: How do they look without Yamal and an in-form Williams? And with neither player in their best shape, how long will that remain a concern?
Those doubts will grow after a goalless draw with Cape Verde -- the third-smallest nation by population to ever play at a World Cup -- in which Spain generated 2.29 xG to Cape Verde's 0.29 and completed over 700 largely sideways passes over the 90 minutes.
"As soon as Lamine came on, he changed how [Cape Verde] were playing," de la Fuente said afterward. "It was the amount of time we thought he could play. We're sure in the next game the team will do better."
Now, it's worth remembering that for all their talent over the years, Spain have often underwhelmed in their debut games at these tournaments. They lost their opening match in 2010 and went on to win the competition. They failed to win their opening games in 2014 and 2018, too, before a 7-0 debut victory against Costa Rica in 2022 that proved a false dawn. Only three times in 14 World Cup appearances prior to 2022 had they opened with victory: in 1934 against Brazil, in 2002 against Slovenia and in 2006 against Ukraine.
"There's extreme equality and difficulty at this World Cup," de la Fuente said. "[Cape Verde] were clearly inferior to us, but they did the things they had to do well.
"We have to keep growing. With the talent these players have, that's the way. We're calm. This is a long tournament, and in our heads we've still got seven games left."
It's much too early for one of the front-runners to panic, but Germany scored seven goals in their opening game against Curaçao, Sweden scored five against Tunisia and the U.S. as co-hosts scored four against Paraguay. And Spain, for all their ability, couldn't find the net against Cape Verde.
With no proven alternatives to Williams and Yamal on the wings, a reassessment of what Spain can do as they wait for those two to find form and fitness might be in order.
Before the game, Yamal was Spain's player onto the pitch for the warmup -- a custom of his with Barça -- taking to the field long after his teammates as if playing to the crowd. Without him, de la Fuente had picked midfielder Gavi on the left and Torres on the right. The result was a team without natural attacking width, the wings occupied by fullbacks Cucurella and Marcos Llorente.
Yamal isn't Spain's only star. They've got Ballon d'Or winner Rodri and Pedri in midfield, but de la Fuente pushed Pedri high up the pitch, pairing him with Mikel Oyarzabal in a front two when out of possession. It's a position Pedri has abandoned for Barcelona in recent seasons, dropping deep into a double pivot. In a more advanced role, he wasn't at his best.
There were dangerous moments that could have swung the game wide open in Spain's favor. Torres hit the bar in the 39th minute after good work from Cucurella, with Oyarzabal's follow-up then saved acrobatically by Vozinha. Before halftime, Cucurella created another chance for Torres before Aymeric Laporte's header was tipped around the post.
But they were isolated moments, and the state of the game called for early changes from de la Fuente. They didn't come, as Yamal was left warming up impatiently on the touchline. De la Fuente discussed the situation with his coaching staff and medical team, assessing when to intervene.
When the call belatedly went to Yamal and Mikel Merino to come on, to a huge cheer from the crowd, with under 20 minutes remaining, the second-half cooling break had already arrived. Yamal's impact was instant as he looked to beat a defender with his first touch and created a chance for Merino before gesturing to the fans to make more noise.
It was an injection of adrenaline the game needed. But it had come too late. Williams came on in the 87th minute, without much time to have an influence on the outcome. Instead, it was Cape Verde who came close to scoring in added time, when defender Diney Borges' downward header from a corner landed comfortably for Unai Simón to smother inside his six-yard box.
"It means everything," Cape Verde coach Bubista said afterward, reflecting on his team's performance. "Everyone saw our country, our team, with our organization, our courage and our resilience."
He had called on his team to play without fear, and they had delivered.
In his postmatch news conference, de la Fuente was resolute: This is a process, a journey, and Spain's at this World Cup is only just beginning.
"This team is reliable, whatever happens," he said. "It's a team with an extraordinary reliability. We haven't lost in 32 games. We'll be better in the next game, for sure. We're convinced, and that's what's got us here.
"We didn't get here for free. We're the champions of Europe."
Even so, this opening draw increases the pressure significantly ahead of Spain's next game back in Atlanta against Saudi Arabia on Sunday. They'll be hoping that a week of training sessions in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is enough to see Yamal ready to start and show what he's capable of.