2026 World Cup, Spain’s Flop: Oyarzabal’s Unbelievable Negative Record—Something That Haven’t Happened in 60 Years

Spain’s embarrassing 0-0 draw in their 2026 World Cup opener against Cape Verde: De La Fuente’s side struggled to create chances, suffering more than ever from the islanders’ pressing and physicality, as they were well-organized in midfield and defense.

One statistic in particular sums up the Red Fury’s incredibly off day: as Opta reveals, center forward Oyarzabal did not touch the ball in the first 30 minutes of the match. A grim record: the Real Sociedad star became the first player to achieve this feat since the 1966 World Cup. A record that could stand for decades.

Spain maintained a fruitless 74% possession rate throughout the match, failing to capitalize on the few chances they had due to inaccuracy and saves by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

De La Fuente tried to downplay the situation at the press conference: “I think all this fuss is excessive. Besides, today we surpassed 32 games without a loss. The numbers show extraordinary reliability. We’ll do better in the next match; that’s for sure. And we know how difficult this type of competition is; if that brilliance, that freshness, that precision in the final passes is missing, well, this is what happens.”

“But we must have no doubts; whatever is said or left unsaid, we remain faithful to our path, and it is the path that has brought us this far, after many months in which we’ve done things very well, and we’ll continue that way.”