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The fifth day of the resulted in a series of surprising draws that shook up the predictions: Spain was unable to defeat Cape Verde, Uruguay dropped points against Saudi Arabia, and Group G ended with all four teams tied at one point.
Spain, regarded as one of the top favorites for the title, was held to a goalless draw of 0-0 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 overcame an injury sustained in May just in time.
However, the approximately 20-25 minutes from the attacker were not enough to prevent 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 advancing to the knockout stage alive.
In the same Group H, Uruguay also failed to meet expectations under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, drawing 1-1 against Saudi Arabia at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
Abdulelah Al-Amri opened the scoring in the 41st minute by taking advantage of a rebound given up by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
Maximiliano Araújo equalized for the Celeste in the 80th minute, but despite creating numerous dangerous opportunities, Uruguay failed to 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 of the tournament.
In Group G, Belgium and Egypt drew 1-1 at Lumen Field in Seattle in a matchup between the two top favorites in the region.
Emam Ashour put Egypt ahead in the 19th minute, and Mohamed Hany scored an own goal in the 66th minute — in a play involving Romelu Lukaku — to equalize the score.
The Belgians extended their unbeaten streak to 13 matches in a row, although they let the chance to start with a victory slip away.
Iran and New Zealand concluded the day with the most entertaining match in Group G: a 2-2 draw at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Elijah Just scored twice for the New Zealanders (in the seventh and 54th minutes), while Ramin Rezaeian (32') and Mohammad Mohebi (64') equalized for Iran.
New Zealand took the lead twice, but failed to maintain it on both occasions.
Group G is now completely tied with Belgium, Egypt, Iran, and New Zealand, each earning one point, ensuring an intense battle for the tickets to the Round of 16 in the upcoming matches.
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