FIFA World Cup Day 5 live updates: Spain vs. Cape Verde; Iran to play in U.S. amid peace deal

FIFA World Cup Day 5 live updates: Spain vs. Cape Verde; Iran to play in U.S. amid peace deal

Follow live updates and the latest news from the World Cup as Spain takes on Cape Verde and Iran plays in the U.S. amid the peace deal. Analysis, highlights and key moments.

What to know about the World Cup

This is Spain’s match to lose after 60 minutes

Spain has thoroughly dominated in every category in except the scoreboard so far.

Spain has controlled possession for 70% of the action and also has 1.73 expected goals.

Cape Verde continues to keep La Roja out of the net, however, thanks to five saves by goalkeeper Vozinha.

He just handled a Fabián Ruiz header from right in the middle of the box. He's up to five saves now on the match.

The score was 0-0 at halftime. Can Vozinha keep stonewalling Spain? Will we see Lamine Yamal? All will be revealed in the final 45 minutes.

The Cape Verde goalkeeper was the star of the first half, making four saves to keep Spain scoreless.

Vozinha’s dad spoke to Telemundo Deportes prior to the match and revealed that his son is named after a Brazilian soccer player.

Will we see Lamine Yamal in the second half?

The Barcelona winger has yet to play today as he manages a hamstring injury he sustained in April.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said yesterday that Yamal was cleared to play in today’s match, though not a full 90 minutes. Maybe he will come on and provide a boost after halftime.

Halftime: Spain 0, Cape Verde 0

An exciting finish to the first half, which saw Spain ratchet up the pressure but fail to score.

Spain leads in expected goals 1.15 to 0.04 and holds 70% to 30% possession advantage. But Cape Verde has avoided conceding, thanks in large part to the heroics of goalkeeper Vozinha, who has made multiple big saves.

Wow! Another fantastic save by Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, who stopped a Ferran Torres shot that was trying to find the back-left corner of the net.

Spain just had its best chance of the day. First, a Ferran Torres shot hit the crossbar. On the rebound, Mikel Oyarzabal tried to capitalize, but his header was pushed over the crossbar by Vozinha.

Great resolve by Cape Verde to hold strong.

Exciting action in the 36th minute

The play was ultimately offside, but Spain nearly manufactured the game’s first goal in the 36th minute. A nice save by Cape Verde’s Vozinha prevented what technically never would have been ruled a goal. It was fun, though!

Still scoreless over 30 minutes in

Cape Verde is hanging strong in its debut match at the World Cup. Spain has been in control of the action, but only has one shot on goal despite its possession advantage.

Pedro González López, aka "Pedri," of Spain controls the ball under pressure from Kevin Pina of Cape Verde during the match today. Florencia Tan Jun / Getty Images

Spain is getting a little restless

While Spain has largely controlled the action so far, it doesn’t have anything to show for it in this 0-0 match. That appears to be bothering people, as the broadcast noted some pointed conversations among the Spanish team during the hydration break.

This is Cape Verde’s first ever World Cup match.

Spain-Cape Verde scoreless at the end of the first quarter

Hydration break time in Atlanta. Spain has controlled possession and has the game’s only shot on goal. Cape Verde will have a goal kick after the break.

Sidny Lopes Cabral was flagged after a shove to Marcos Llorente. Spain couldn’t generate a chance with the free kick, however.

Spain dominating possession so far

Fifteen minutes into this match and Spain has dominated possession 67% to 33%. Spain hasn’t had great scoring opportunities, but it is knocking on the door.

Cape Verde handles Spain corner

Spain got its first corner kick in the 11th minute, but Cape Verde was able to clear the ball quite quickly, preventing a chance.

Spain vs. Cape Verde is underway!

Cape Verde kicked off and the action is underway in Atlanta.

Iran team arrives in U.S. for World Cup opener against New Zealand

Iran’s soccer team arrived in the United States for the first time this World Cup yesterday, landing at Los Angeles International Airport after a short flight from Tijuana, Mexico, where they left their base camp earlier to a rousing sendoff.

The squad’s Group G fixture against New Zealand will be played against the backdrop of the U.S. war with Iran, adding a charged atmosphere to ​a contest between two nations who have never met at the World Cup.

Iran moved their World Cup base camp from a sports complex in Arizona to Mexico late last month after the U.S. and Israel conducted joint strikes on Iran ​beginning in late February.

Spain’s Lamine Yamal will start on the bench

Spanish teen star Lamine Yamal will begin his team’s opening match on the bench after sustaining a hamstring injury in April, though he’s still expected to play today.

“The good news is that Lamine is in perfect condition,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said yesterday. “He’s arrived at this point in the state in which we wanted him to be.”

De la Fuente added: “The doctors say Lamine can play tomorrow without any issues. Not to play 90 minutes, but to play some minutes, yes.”

One of the best players in the world, Yamal scored 16 goals for Barcelona in La Liga this past season.

Lamine Yamal juggles the ball during a training session at Kennesaw State University in Georgia yesterday. Soccrates Images / Getty Images

Cape Verde want to showcase their country, and compete

Cape Verde begins its first World Cup adventure with a Group H clash against European champions Spain, and manager Bubista said he wants his team to not only enjoy the tournament and show its country to the world, but also to compete.

The debutantes could not have asked for a much more difficult start as they take on one of the tournament’s favorites today, but Cape Verde is determined to make the most of the opportunity.

“We’ve been discussing how much we want to enjoy the match and the World Cup,” Bubista told reporters yesterday.

“We’ve already said that our qualification for the World Cup means more than just football. It’s a cultural, a musical achievement.”

Golazo de Keito Nakamura para empatar el partido entre Japón y Países Bajos

Takefusa Kubo encontró a Keito Nakamura en el área y el delantero japonés no lo pensó dos veces. Con un potente remate de pierna derecha desde fuera del área, venció al guardameta neerlandés para igualar el marcador ante Países Bajos.

Ghana coach enters record books at his fifth World Cup in row

Carlos Queiroz is still one tournament short of matching the record for coaching at the World Cup, but the 73-year-old will still enter the record books this week.

Queiroz takes charge of Ghana as they begin their Group L campaign against Panama in Toronto on Wednesday and continues a run that began with Portugal in 2010 and saw him also coach Iran at three successive World Cups in 2014, 2018, and 2022.

The run matches the record five tournaments in a row that Bora Milutinović set from 1986 to 2002 when he was at the helm of five different national teams.

Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira has the record number of World Cup appearances as a coach with six, but not successively.

Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz during a match against Wales on June 2. Huw Fairclough / Getty Images

Iranian Americans plan protests and watch parties ahead of team’s World Cup opener

Iranian Americans are torn over Iran’s participation in the World Cup, as some community members plan to watch today’s match and others plan to protest outside the stadium where the team will play.

A rally is planned for outside the stadium near Los Angeles, home to the largest Iranian community outside Iran. Many of Southern California’s Iranian Americans arrived after the Islamic Revolution, and a hub of eateries, shops and markets about 10 miles from the stadium is known as “Tehrangeles.”

Rally participants plan to wear lion-and-sun T-shirts and wave the country’s flag from before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in protest of Tehran’s deadly January crackdown on dissent.

Ali Javahery, a 59-year-old consultant who was born in Iran and lives in California’s Orange County, said he will be outside protesting Iran’s opening match against New Zealand, not inside watching it. He said soccer and politics are intertwined, and though he loves the sport, he says the national team’s players are under pressure to adhere to the Iranian government’s positions.

“This is not ‘Team Melli,’” as the national team is known in Persian, Javahery said. “This is Team Islamic Republic.”

Just one World Cup game in, Brazil and Ancelotti are already under fire

On Saturday afternoon, thousands of Brazil fans, clad in highlighter yellow jerseys, made the trek to New York/New Jersey Stadium (MetLife Stadium) to watch their team play Morocco in its first game of this World Cup. They sang on the train in from Manhattan and waved flags and chanted throughout the day.

But after 90 minutes of tense, back-and-forth play that ended in a 1-1 tie, those fans were less than thrilled. “That was a terrible performance,” one said as he left the stadium. “Terrible!”

Soon, Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti was sitting on a stage, taking questions from another tough crowd: the Brazilian media. They peppered him with questions about his starting lineup, his substitution patterns, every tactical decision one could imagine.

“You don’t win a World Cup based on your first match,” Ancelotti said through a FIFA interpreter.

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