Overview
- Spain were held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in their World Cup Group H opener after Friday's goalless match, a result that fell well short of pre-match expectations.
- Head coach Luis de la Fuente called criticism of Rodri 'insulting' and said the midfielder is the best player in the world, praising his clarity, vision and balance.
- Match data reported that Rodri had the game-high touches and completed more passes than anyone else, a statistic supporters point to when arguing he remains central to Spain's play.
- De la Fuente said minutes for recovering players such as Lamine Yamal will be decided on fitness and the state of upcoming games, with the coach planning to assess options before facing Saudi Arabia.
- Pre-match models had heavily favoured Spain and noted a large FIFA-ranking gap with Cape Verde, leaving the team under pressure to improve attacking efficiency and manage media scrutiny of star players.