Oyarzabal's Forgotten Night: Spain Star Makes Unwanted World Cup History Against Cape Verde

United States:Spain's shock 0-0 draw against World Cup debutants Cape Verde produced one of the tournament's most remarkable statistics, with forward Mikel Oyarzabal becoming the first player since 1966 to play more than 30 minutes in a FIFA World Cup match without recording a single touch of the ball. 

The statistic is even more surprising given Oyarzabal's importance to the Spanish national team. The Real Sociedad captain started in Spain's attack against Cape Verde but was effectively neutralized by the disciplined defensive display of the African debutants, who frustrated Spain throughout the match and earned a historic first World Cup point. 

Coming into the tournament, Oyarzabal was one of Spain's most in-form players. Reports before the World Cup noted that he had scored 24 goals in 52 appearances for Spain and entered the competition as Luis de la Fuente's first-choice striker. 

His recent international form had been exceptional. Ahead of the World Cup, Oyarzabal had been directly involved in 27 goals under De la Fuente, recording 19 goals and eight assists, while also carrying a remarkable streak of scoring or assisting in consecutive appearances for La Roja. 

Ironically, the man who failed to touch the ball against Cape Verde had been among Spain's most reliable goal scorers in the months leading up to the tournament. He scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Serbia in March and also found the net during Spain's final World Cup warm-up match against Peru. 

As for his World Cup record, the 2026 tournament is Oyarzabal's first FIFA World Cup. A serious knee injury ruled him out of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, meaning he had never previously scored in a World Cup match. His most recent major tournament goal came in the final of UEFA Euro 2024, when he scored the winning goal against England to secure the title for Spain.

While Cape Verde celebrated one of the greatest results in the nation's football history, Oyarzabal will be hoping to quickly put the unwanted record behind him. With crucial Group H matches against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay still to come, Spain will need their leading striker to rediscover the form that made him one of Europe's most productive international forwards before the tournament.