Omonia winger Willy Semedo played his part as Cape Verde held European champions Spain to a goalless draw in their first ever game at a World Cup finals at the Atlanta Stadium in Georgia.

Semedo played the last half an hour of a remarkable defensive display, which saw the side ranked 117th in the world according to Fifa shut their star-studded opponents out and secure a point in Group H.

Spain started without their star player, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, but their lineup nonetheless included household footballing names, including Gavi, Rodri, and Pedri.

Later, with the clock ticking down, they introduced Yamal, as well as the likes of Dani Olmo and Nico Williams, off the bench.

Despite this array of top class talent, however, and despite peppering 40-year-old Cape Verdean goalkeeper Vozinha’s goal with 23 shots, of which seven were on target, they could not find a way through, and were forced to settle for a draw.

Vozinha – who himself spent five years at Limassol’s AEL – took much of the plaudits at full time, though defender Diney Borges also stood out in the Cape Verdeans’ defensive display.

At the other end, the Duarte brothers – Laros for the first hour and Deroy for the final half an hour – provided a vital outlet going forward to allow their side’s backline to catch their breath. 

Cape Verde will next be in action when they face Uruguay in Miami at 6pm on Sunday local time, 1am on Monday Cyprus time. Spain will remain in Atlanta for their next fixture, in which they will face Saudi Arabia. That game will kick off at 12pm local time, 7pm Cyprus time, on Sunday.