Spain and Cape Verde Open Group H in Atlanta with Scoreless First Half

Spain and Cape Verde met on Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the opening match of Group H. On paper it was a mismatch, with European champion Spain among the World Cup favorites and Cape Verde making its tournament debut with a largely unknown squad.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente started Ferran Torres, Gavi and Mikel Oyarzabal up front, while Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal began on the bench because they were not fully fit. Marc Cucurella, who signed for Real Madrid earlier in the day, was also in the starting lineup. Cape Verde, meanwhile, faced the toughest possible debut and was hoping for a better fate than Curaçao, which had opened its first World Cup appearance against Germany. Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Helio Varela remained on the bench.

The match had not yet started when the report was filed, so the score remained 0-0 at halftime. The game was officiated by Adham Makhadmeh of Jordan.

Group H also includes Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. The next fixtures are Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay on June 16 in Miami, Spain vs. Saudi Arabia on June 21 in Atlanta, Uruguay vs. Cape Verde on June 22 in Miami, Uruguay vs. Spain on June 27 in Guadalajara, and Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia on June 27 in Houston.