Read for 5 minutesUpdated: June 16, 2026 10:22 AM IST
One would have thought that just being in the FIFA World Cup was history enough for Cape Verde. In their first appearance at the tournament, they faced a star-studded Spain side who had the luxury of not selecting a single Spaniard from Real Madrid. On the other hand, Cape Verde has a key player who was recruited by LinkedIn and plays for Shamrock Rovers in Ireland. And yet, that day, they frustrated Spain to the end and drew 0-0.
Their 33-year-old defender Roberto Lopes, the aforementioned LinkedIn search, and their 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha were two of the greatest heroes of the effort at the Atlanta Stadium. Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente’s early tactics did not work. The Spaniards stretched their team wide and moved the ball in the opening minutes, but their wastage was alarming. De la Fuente’s preferred striker Mikel Oyarzabal got the first touch in the 30th minute of the game. Spain, regarded as world champions in North America, found their feet against the islanders as the first half wore on. He finished the half with 16 pointless crosses.
Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, key to De La Fuente’s direct attack philosophy, were still nursing season-ending injuries. Yamal only came on at the end of the second half, along with Mikel Merino and Dani Olmo. For once, the 2010 champions were as close to the full strength squad they would have liked to field. But, Cape Verde endured it all and in the end, got as many points as Spain from that match.
It was one of four draws that day, a piece of World Cup history.
Belgium’s golden generation were held to a 1-1 draw by Egypt
The positivity surrounding Belgium’s golden generation of players has long since been replaced by negativity and strife but there is hope that what remains of it can take one last shot at a major title for the country before bowing out. However, they got off to an amazing start. Egypt, who have never won a World Cup match before, were disappointed after Imam Ashour’s 19th-minute strike gave them the lead.
Romelu Lukaku came on in the 66th minute against Egypt on Monday and the veteran striker immediately created a goal-scoring opportunity that led to an own goal, but Belgium could only hold on for a 1-1 draw. Belgium were completely outplayed in the first half, which did not bode well for their golden generation of 33-year-old Lukaku and two 34-year-old midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and 34-year-old goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Araujo’s late equalizer earns Uruguay a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia
Maxi Araujo finally gave the largely Uruguayan crowd in Miami something to cheer about with his tying goal in their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia. La Celeste salvaged a point, but were not thrilled with the result. Star midfielder Fede Valverde said after the game that Uruguay had “let it go”.
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Uruguay dominated and scored 29 tries to Saudi Arabia’s seven goals but trailed late in the second half. Abdulah Al-Amri scored off a rebound for Saudi Arabia in the 41st minute, and Araujo equalized in the 80th minute after beating goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Owais from close range.
A thrilling match between Iran and New Zealand was 2-2
As Iran’s national anthem played, there were boos and cheers around SoFi Stadium, the Los Angeles stadium for the tournament. The boos were not from New Zealand fans but those wearing Iran’s colors in today’s politics surprisingly took center stage in New Zealand’s tournament opener against Iran.
However, what followed was a thrilling game in which neither side deserved to lose. New Zealand took the lead twice and each time Iran hit back, even threatening to take the lead themselves late in the match as they established their superiority. New Zealand took an early lead when Elijah Just broke back inside the box after being set up by Chris Wood.
While some cheered the goal, the stadium’s massive crowd of 70,000 erupted when Ramin Rezaian equalized after the half-hour mark. Wood and Just combined again early in the second half, with the New Zealand captain sliding a perfect pass into the path of the 26-year-old forward before hammering home to restore the All Whites’ lead. Iran responded 10 minutes later with a super goal from Mohammad Mohebi, who headed Rezaian’s perfect cross into the far post to make it 2-2.