World Cup Day 11: Cape Verde upset odds again; Salah stars | OneFootball

Matchday 11 of the FIFA World Cup saw Spain find their form, Cape Verde upset the odds again, and Mohamed Salah star.

We’ve recapped all the happenings from matchday 11, including what you may have missed overnight.

Spain slip into gear to smash Saudi Arabia

After a false start to the tournament, the European champions cruised into top gear on matchday two. Spain’s stalemate with Cape Verde was one of the great shocks in World Cup history, and La Roja ensured there was no repeat this time around.

Lamine Yamal was back in from the start, while Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, and Pedro Porro also came in as Luis de la Fuente switched things up against Saudi Arabia.

Predictably, it was Yamal who got the ball rolling, turning in from Mikel Oyarzabal’s cross inside 10 minutes. The latter’s quick-fire brace then put Spain in cruise control, as La Roja raced into a three-goal lead with just 24 minutes on the clock.

Even though the pressure eased after the break, an utterly dominant performance from Spain was rounded off when Hassan Tambakti put through his own net in unfortunate fashion. A big result for Spain, and a reminder of their quality.

Belgium blank again as Iran hold firm

No European team has featured at more World Cups without winning it than Belgium. That wait does not look likely to end this summer. Belgium produced a Golden Generation of talent in the late 2010s, but it’s a generation that passed without silverware.

Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku are all around, though the latter duo look a shadow of their former selves. Belgium huffed and puffed against Iran but were unable to find a breakthrough, a result that followed a draw with Egypt on matchday one.

Alireza Beiranvand’s brilliant save for Iran was a highlight, with Group G perfectly poised. Belgium face New Zealand in their final fixture, needing a win to progress.

Cape Verde claim another upset result

Cape Verde are not at the 2026 World Cup to make up the numbers. The underdog debutants held Spain in a gargantuan upset on matchday one, and were at it again overnight.

The population of Cape Verde is just over 500,000, making it one of the smallest countries ever to play at the World Cup, but the African outfit are going toe-to-toe with some big names. After holding the European champions to a goalless draw, Cape Verde battled brilliantly to earn a 2-2 draw with two-time world champions Uruguay.

Kevin Lenini blasted home the country’s first-ever World Cup goal via a free-kick, only for Uruguay to turn the game around and lead at half-time. However, the outsiders never gave in, and got their reward just after the hour.

Substitute Helio Varela capitalised on a misplaced pass from Mathias Olivera to nip in and fire home. Cue, wild celebrations. Cape Verde, against all odds, has a real shot at making the knockouts.

Salah stars as Egypt end long wait for World Cup win

Egypt are African football’s powerhouse nation. No team has ever won more AFCON titles than The Pharaohs, but that success has never translated to the World Cup stage.

In nine previous attempts, Egypt had never won a World Cup game, and when New Zealand opened the scoring early on here, it felt like another tournament was getting away from the North Africans.

However, Egypt’s trump card turned things around. In a tournament where the big names have started to sparkle, Mohamed Salah showed he’s still the main man for Egypt. After Mostafa Ziko equalised from Mohamed Hany’s brilliant cross, Salah strolled into the area to fire Egypt in front.

It was a trademark goal from the 34-year-old, drifting inwards before rolling home. Salah’s set-piece then found Mahmoud Trezeguet to make the result safe. Egypt are on the verge of the knockouts for the first time.

Read – How FIFA’s new World Cup format manufactures dead rubbers

See more – World Cup Day 10: Super sub Undav, Curacao make history

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