World Cup Day 5: Vozinha’s One-Man Wall, Salah’s Birthday Assist, and a Day That Nobody Won

The day produced four matches and four draws. Every team in Groups G and H sits on one point. Spain, ranked third in the world and European champions, have the same return as New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side at the tournament. Football, as it occasionally insists on reminding us, does not read the world rankings.

1. Vozinha Is 40 Years Old and Just Stopped Spain

Cape Verde pulled off one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as the African debutants held tournament favourites Spain to a goalless draw in Atlanta. The architecture of the result can be explained in one sentence, and that sentence contains one name.

Vozinha made seven saves, with six of those stops from shots inside the box. He tipped over Mikel Oyarzabal’s header, saved low from Ferran Torres’ close-range effort, tipped Aymeric Laporte’s goalbound header around the corner, and then denied Mikel Merino and Marc Cucurella from inside the area. He turned 40 last week. He plays in Portugal’s second division. Spain had 27 shots over 90 minutes, completed 734 passes, and entered the final third 84 times. Spain also failed to score.

The numbers around Vozinha’s performance are almost implausible in their completeness. His goals-prevented figure of 1.46 reflects the difference between 0-0 and a likely Spain win. Second to Vozinha in the heroics was Shamrock Rovers defender Roberto “Pico” Lopes — born in Ireland — who denied Oyarzabal with a stunning last-ditch block in the 88th minute to prevent a certain winner. Cape Verde could even have won it — Diney Borges was found unmarked from a late corner, only for his effort to be blocked into Unai Simon’s path.

They became just the seventh team in World Cup history to avoid defeat in their debut match. By the time the final whistle went, Vozinha had five million new social media followers and a place in the tournament’s early mythology.

2. Salah Wrote the Script on His Birthday — But Egypt Couldn’t Hold On

On his 34th birthday, Mohamed Salah assisted Emam Ashour’s 19th-minute opener to become the first African player on record — since 1966 — to register a World Cup goal involvement on their birthday. Ashour, the Al Ahly midfielder, took one touch to set himself and swept a low strike through the legs of Thomas Meunier and past a diving Thibaut Courtois. It was his first ever international goal. The Seattle crowd fell quiet.

Belgium failed to register a single shot on target in the first half. De Bruyne struck the post with a free-kick in the 53rd minute. Courtois produced a stunning save to deny Salah’s header before Ashour blazed the rebound wide — a miss that would prove fatally costly.

Just 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute, Romelu Lukaku forced a Mohamed Hany own goal from Thomas Meunier’s cross in the 66th minute. Twenty-two seconds. The equaliser that Belgium’s first half had done nothing to deserve arrived almost before the crowd had registered the substitution. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier then superbly saved Brandon Mechele’s header to prevent Belgium completing the turnaround.

Egypt are now winless in eight World Cup matches. They deserved better on Monday. Salah, turning 34 in a Seattle stadium, deserved a birthday win. Football, as ever, was unmoved by sentiment.

3. Saudi Arabia and Uruguay — a First Half and a Second Half From Different Matches

Saudi Arabia beat eventual winners Argentina in their opening game at Qatar 2022 and were on course for another major upset when they led at half-time. Abdulelah Al-Amri reacted fastest to a rebound from Muslera’s parry to tap in from close range in the 41st minute — a goal built on the goalkeeper’s error but claimed with the instincts of a striker.

Then Marcelo Bielsa took Darwin Núñez off at half-time, moved Federico Valverde centrally, and changed everything. Uruguay dominated the second period but only had one goal to show for it — Araujo firing in with 10 minutes to go after Al Owais could only parry a Vinas header into his path. Araujo is the first Uruguayan player to score on his World Cup debut since Diego Forlan in 2002.

Al Owais made nine saves to deny Uruguay a win that their second half thoroughly deserved. Valverde saw a shot tipped around the post. Rodriguez flashed a drive a yard wide. Manuel Ugarte struck the post itself. Saudi Arabia hung on. The point they earned was honest. The credit belongs almost entirely to their goalkeeper.

Group H is now entirely level, with Spain and Cape Verde also having drawn earlier in the day. Saudi Arabia’s next fixture against Cape Verde could prove decisive — they have only advanced beyond the group stage once in their history, at USA 1994.

4. Iran Played In the Country That Bombed Them — and Drew 2-2

The most politically charged match of the tournament so far, in a tournament that has not been short of political charge, was played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Iran arrived with their base camp relocated to Tijuana, Mexico, after 14 support staff members were denied US visas. In the stands, Iranian American fans held up the pre-revolutionary flag alongside the current national colours — two different ideas of a country, sharing the same stadium.

On the pitch, it was all football. Elijah Just — of Motherwell, playing in his first World Cup — gave New Zealand the lead twice, with Chris Wood providing the assist on both occasions. Ramin Rezaeian equalised first, then assisted Mohammad Mohebbi’s header for Iran’s second — the first player in Iran’s history to score and assist in a World Cup match.

Just became the first Motherwell player ever to score at a men’s World Cup, and the first to score a brace for New Zealand in a World Cup match. Chris Wood became the first New Zealand player to record two assists in a World Cup game. Records made in the most unlikely of circumstances — a Scottish lower-league forward and a veteran striker helping the lowest-ranked team at the tournament twice take the lead against a nation playing in the country that bombed it four months ago.

Two hours before kick-off, Iranian American families were already in line at SoFi Stadium. Iran played. Iran drew. They have a point. The politics of their presence in Los Angeles will outlast any result.

5. Group G and H Are Wide Open — Which Is Exactly the Problem for the Big Sides

The clean statistical summary of Day 5: all four teams in both Groups G and H drew their opening matches. Every team on one point. Spain sit level with Cape Verde, Uruguay with Saudi Arabia, Belgium with Egypt, Iran with New Zealand.

For Spain, the draw means they now face the same mathematical pressure as Cape Verde going into the second round. This is the 12th time Spain have failed to win their World Cup opener — they have advanced from the group stage on only five of those previous eleven occasions, most notably winning the tournament in 2010 after losing their opening match to Switzerland. For Belgium, a side still carrying genuine quality in De Bruyne, Lukaku, and Doku, failing to score in a first half against Egypt will prompt uncomfortable conversations. For Uruguay, a 45-minute implosion that required Bielsa to sacrifice his most recognisable attacker before they resembled their actual selves.

The cleaner, more honest picture: this World Cup, with 48 teams and eight third-place qualifiers advancing from the groups, rewards resilience more than pedigree in the opening round. Curaçao and Cape Verde have already demonstrated that. Vozinha, standing alone in front of Spain’s 734 passes, may be the image of the day, the week, and perhaps the tournament’s opening act.

Day 5 Results: Spain 0-0 Cape Verde | Belgium 1-1 Egypt | Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay | Iran 2-2 New Zealand