Cape Verde stuns again, holds Uruguay after historic Spain draw

Cape Verde is turning its World Cup debut into a lesson in how to frustrate giants and make every chance count. After holding Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta on June 15, the debutants backed it up with a 2-2 result against Uruguay in Miami on June 21, a run that has put established powers on notice and reshaped Group play through discipline rather than reputation.

Against Spain, Cape Verde absorbed wave after wave of pressure and refused to break. FIFA called it a historic draw for a debutant against one of the tournament favorites, and the numbers told the story: Spain took 27 shots and monopolized the ball, yet Vozinha and the rest of the Cape Verde defense denied every finish. The result was not a fluke of one lucky break. It was a sustained defensive effort that forced a powerful side to leave Atlanta without a goal.

Cape Verde carried that same resistance into Miami, where Kevin Pina opened the scoring with a free kick in the 21st minute and Helio Varela struck in the 61st. Uruguay answered through Ronald Araújo in the 44th minute and Brian Rodríguez Canobbio in first-half stoppage time, but Cape Verde kept finding responses under pressure. FIFA also noted a striking piece of World Cup history from the match: Fernando Muslera and Vozinha became the first two goalkeepers aged 40 or older to start a match at the tournament.

If Cape Verde has built its momentum on composure and organization, Iran has done so by surviving Belgium's volume. In their 0-0 draw on June 21, Belgium controlled nearly 70 percent of possession and fired 23 shots, the most it had taken in a World Cup match without scoring since the United States in 1994. Alireza Beiranvand was named FIFA's Superior Player of the Match after standing up to Romelu Lukaku and the rest of Belgium's attack.

The parallel is hard to miss. Cape Verde and Iran did not simply hang on; they exposed the gaps in sides expected to control matches, closing space, staying mentally engaged and punishing impatience. Belgium, left to rue another wasted opportunity, now faces a decisive final group game with Lukaku admitting the team must improve its composure.