Oyarzabal sets a 60-year World Cup low as Spain stalls against Cape Verde

Spain arrived at the 2026 World Cup among the favorites to win the tournament and expected a one-sided opening match against Cape Verde, but the European champions went into halftime at 0-0 after a poor first half. Spain started without Lamine Yamal, but still fielded several major names, and Real Sociedad forward Mikel Oyarzabal was identified as one of the team’s key players entering the competition.

During Spain’s sluggish opening 45 minutes, Oyarzabal produced a strikingly bad statistical mark. According to OptaJoe, he did not touch the ball once in the first 30 minutes of the match. The data account says he is the first player since 1966, when this tracking began, to start a World Cup match and fail to make a single touch in the opening 30 minutes.

Commentator Rafael Oliveira summed up the first half by saying: “Without dribbling wingers and with Mikel Oyarzabal barely involved, Spain is producing a weak first half with slow ball possession. The only one offering depth was Marc Cucurella.”