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The fifth day of the brought a series of surprising draws that shook up the predictions: Spain could not overcome Cape Verde, Uruguay dropped points against Saudi Arabia, and Group G concluded with all four teams tied with one point.
Spain, considered one of the top favorites for the title, could only manage a 0-0 draw against Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
La Roja dominated with 74% possession and took 25 shots, but was unable to break the resistance of an African team that was playing its first World Cup match in history.
The coach Luis de la Fuente called upon Lamine Yamal in the 70th minute, after the young Barcelona star raced against time to recover from an injury suffered in May.
However, the approximately 20-25 minutes from the attacker were not enough to avoid a result that raises doubts about the performance of the European champions.
For Cape Verde, the draw feels like an achievement: they earned the first World Cup point in their history and keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage alive.
In the same Group H, Uruguay also fell short of expectations under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa and settled for a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Abdulelah Al-Amri opened the scoring in the 41st minute by capitalizing on a rebound given up by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Maximiliano Araújo equalized for the Celeste in the 80th minute, but despite creating numerous dangerous chances, Uruguay could not complete the comeback.
After the first matchday, the four teams in Group H —Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay— each have one point, confirming it as one of the most balanced groups in the tournament.
In Group G, Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle in a showdown between the two top favorites in the area.
Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead in the 19th minute, and Mohamed Hany scored an own goal in the 66th minute —during a play with Romelu Lukaku— to equalize the score.
The Belgians extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches in a row, although they missed the chance to start with a victory.
Iran and New Zealand ended the day with the most entertaining match in Group G: a 2-2 draw at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Elijah Just scored a brace for the Kiwis (in the seventh and 54th minutes), while Ramin Rezaeian (32') and Mohammad Mohebi (64') equalized for Iran.
New Zealand took the lead twice, but they were unable to maintain it on both occasions.
Group G is completely tied with Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, with each team earning one point, ensuring an intense battle for the tickets to the round of 16 in the upcoming matches.
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