One Player Embodies Spain's Struggles: A Record No One Wants to Break

According to sportbible.com, citing Opta statistics, Oyarzabal became the first player since 1966 to play the opening 30 minutes of a World Cup match without a single touch of the ball.

What makes this even more remarkable is that Spain controlled approximately 70 percent of possession during that period, ultimately finishing the match with 74 percent ball control.

For a striker leading the Spanish attack, this is an incredibly unflattering record. Although he eventually became more involved, even five attempts on goal weren't enough to break down the Cape Verde defense. Only one of his shots was on target.

Spain entered the tournament as one of the favorites. A convincing victory against the World Cup debutants was expected, but instead, one of the biggest upsets of the opening days of the tournament unfolded.

The draw also highlighted a long-standing issue for the Spanish national team at the World Cup. Since their last goal at a World Cup, scored in a 2-1 loss to Japan at the 2022 Qatar tournament, they have now played two matches without finding the net.

Following a goalless draw against Morocco in the round of 16 in Qatar, where "La Furia Roja" exited after a penalty shootout, they failed to score against Cape Verde. The statistics are telling: since their last World Cup goal, Spain has taken 49 shots and completed approximately 2500 passes, yet they haven't managed to ripple the net once.