Atlanta [US], June 16 (ANI): Following his side’s goalless stalemate against debutants Cape Verde, Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente said that the team does not have any doubts, while also acknowledging the well-organised nature of the World Cup first-timers and the European champions’ own “lack of movement and freshness".
The World Cup debutants, Cape Verde, the third smallest nation in terms of population to ever play in a World Cup, produced a goalless draw that they would remember for ages, keeping a star-studded Spain restricted with their robust defence and courtesy of some sensational goalkeeping from 40-year-old Vozinha, who produced seven saves.
Speaking at a post-match press conference, as quoted by Reuters, De La Fuente pointed to his side’s 30-match unbeaten run over the last three years, which witnessed them capture the 2024 Euro title and a runners-up finish in the UEFA Nations League last year after emerging champions in 2023.
“A team that is on a more than 30-match unbeaten run can’t have any doubts. The solution is to stick with the same approach, to keep improving with more finesse, but there you go. We created plenty of chances, but lacked the freshness you need in these games," he said.
“They (Cape Verde) were very well organised; they sat deep as a unit, and it was very difficult to create space. We lacked movement and freshness, but when the ball just would not go in, it would not go in," he added.
The coach also said that they had chances on goal and desire to settle in the match with a quick goal, but knew that it was “very difficult and it is incredibly hard to win here."
In the second half, Spain brought Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, two of their young attackers having fitness struggles heading into the tournament, but they could not make any major impact. The coach highlighted the need to give them game time and expressed optimism that they would get better.
“I am sure they will improve, like they did against Saudi Arabia, in the next match and in the ones after that," he said.
Cape Verde’s defensive masterclass saw Spain go 27 shots without finding the back of the net, their joint-most in a FIFA World Cup match without scoring, tied with their 27 attempts against Paraguay in the 1998 edition, which also ended in a goalless draw.
Now, Spain has failed to win their last four FIFA World Cup games, their joint-longest winless streak was from the 1982 to 1986 editions of the tournament.
Cape Verde manager Bubistawas delighted with the performance of his goalie Vozinha, calling him the “best player on the pitch". He was also all praise for the team’s overall defensive effort.
“He (Vozinha) was the best player on the pitch, he is also to be congratulated. But I think that our team was very good in defensive terms. Of course, he is also there to help our team. Of course, I am happy for him having been chosen the best player of the match. But I think that our team did a spectacular job," said the manager.
Bubista also pointed out that while Spain had a superior ball possession with 74.3 per cent, “controlling the match is not just possession of the ball".
“We did it in a different way. Of course, we would have wanted to have more transitions for attack, but the Spanish team is quite difficult, so we are happy with this. Teams excel in their defensive organisation these days, and in a World Cup, statistically, teams win matches with a transition ball or a ball that is not moving. And so we have to prepare this way," he added.
He also spoke on how this is a “more open world", and the smaller teams are “more entitled" to face bigger teams.
“I think that football is organisation, bravery, determination, and the smaller teams make that the base of what they can do best against larger teams. We have always said that we wanted everybody to see our country, our team," he added.
He highlighted that the team’s performance shows what their country was about, “resilience and trying to overcome hardships".
“Before coming here, I said that our purpose was to compete at the highest level. We would face difficulties for sure, we knew that. But we are going to do our utmost to overcome hurdles," he signed off. (ANI)
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