Lamine Yamal breaks silence after Spain's disappointing draw with Cape Verde

Spain conceded a frustrating draw against Cape Verde (0-0) on Monday in Atlanta during their first match of the 2026 World Cup. Despite 74% possession and 27 shots on goal, La Roja were thwarted throughout the evening by opposing goalkeeper Vozinha, ranked 67th in the FIFA standings.

Returning from injury after two months out with a thigh injury, Lamine Yamal came on in the 71st minute replacing Gavi, but was unable to unlock the situation. The 18-year-old Barcelona prospect nevertheless chose to speak out on Instagram immediately after the match.

“First World Cup match and we take a point. We know the competition is long and the objective is still far away,” he wrote. “We will continue to work and everything will go as we wish, have no doubt about it,” he added, before thanking God and his family “for always being by [his] side, for supporting [him] and accompanying [him] at every step of this journey.”

The message is intended to be reassuring, but the scoreline remains concerning for a Spanish team that approached this World Cup as one of the great favorites. Against an organized and disciplined Cape Verde side, the reigning European champions lacked the cutting edge in the final pass, a shortcoming that Luis de la Fuente’s staff will need to correct quickly to avoid compromising the rest of the competition.