Spain: Luis de la Fuente's words in the locker room after the Cape Verde match

15.06.26 FT World Cup

Spain

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Cabo Verde

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Spain's 2026 World Cup campaign is off to a rocky start. La Roja opened their tournament with a frustrating draw against Cape Verde (0-0) in Atlanta. Luis de la Fuente spoke out in the locker room afterwards.

Spain ran up against a well-organized Cape Verde defense and an unbeatable Vozinha on Monday night. It was a frustrating outcome for the European champions, who now need to bounce back quickly to avoid putting themselves in a difficult position in Group H.

After the match, Unai Simón made a point of saluting Cape Verde's performance while also expressing confidence for the rest of the tournament. The goalkeeper also dropped some hints about what the coach told the team in the dressing room.

"They had a few chances in the first half. You have to highlight the defensive work of the team, but also their desire to score. Cape Verde were really present in their box, with physically imposing players who launched dangerous counterattacks. In terms of effort, play, and tactics, we have nothing to complain about. That's how World Cups are. We believe things can be like they were before, against Costa Rica. Cape Verde will be a formidable team. They were underestimated because of our attacking style. In the World Cup, you get the right to make mistakes—but you have to fix them. The coach tells us to keep attacking. We just lacked the finishing touch to score, and then the match would have been different. This team will get there," he said.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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