Spain 0-0 Cape Verde: La Roja simply cannot win 2026 World Cup without superstar Lamine Yamal in full flow

Spain stutter. Cape Verde have the best night of their lives.

That was not pretty - Spain huffed and puffed but were ultimately unable to make the breakthrough against an incredibly spirted Cape Verde outfit on Monday.

Lamine Yamal immediately improved matters for Spain upon his arrival in the 71st minute of the match, but the Barcelona superstar, on his return from injury, was ultimately unable to help La Roja triumph, as the points were shared in a goalless draw.

Spain 0-0 Cape Verde: What just happened?

One of the biggest shocks in World Cup history! ?

Cape Verde hold European champions Spain to a draw pic.twitter.com/TRToKlU1lq

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 15, 2026

This will go down as one of the biggest World Cup shocks of all time. Many expected Spain to put four or five past Cape Verde, but the Blue Sharks had other ideas, with a spirited defensive performance securing an incredible point for Bubista's team.

As expected, Spain dominated the statistics in terms of possession (74%) and shots (27), but the only thing that mattered was the score, and Luis de la Fuente's side could not find a way through.

This is arguably the biggest result in Cape Verde's history, and it will have given them monumental confidence when it comes to their chances of potentially advancing to the knockout round of this season's tournament.

Spain 0-0 Cape Verde: The big talking point

Spain were unable to live up to their billing as pre-tournament favourites, and they found it incredibly difficult to open up Cape Verde until Yamal was introduced late on.

Yamal did not start, having only just recovered from a hamstring injury, but the match demonstrated that Spain simply cannot be successful in the competition without him.

The 18-year-old's quick feet and quick thinking gave Spain their best chance of winning it late on, and he was clearly the standout player on the pitch upon his introduction.

The likes of Gavi and Ferran Torres were unable to make their mark in the final third.

For Spain to win the 2026 World Cup, Yamal will need to get up to speed quickly, and the teenage superstar is still more than capable of inspiring La Roja to success this summer.

Spain 0-0 Cape Verde: The bigger picture

This was Yamal's first appearance since injuring his hamstring in Barcelona's La Liga clash with Celta Vigo at the end of May, but he was as sharp as ever upon his introduction.

A standout moment arrived when he played a beautiful pass with the outside of his foot to Dani Olmo, but Cape Verde continued to defend in their numbers.

There will now be pressure on Spain boss De la Fuente to bring Yamal into the starting side for Spain's next match against Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Ideally, De la Fuente would have wanted to ease Yamal into the tournament and then hope to see the best of the teenage sensation in the knockout round of the competition, but Spain's supporting cast struggled badly without him on Monday.

For Spain to win the World Cup, Yamal is required, while Nico Williams will also need to get up to speed quickly in order to give La Roja the best possible chance of success.