Spain seek reset vs. Saudi Arabia after opening draw
Spain extended their unbeaten streak in competitive fixtures to 32 matches during their World Cup opener last week. And yet, it was hard not to see La Roja’s scoreless draw against debutant Cape Verde — the third-least-populated country to ever qualify for the World Cup — as a disastrous start for Spain, who entered ranked second in the FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings. The Spaniards will look to reestablish themselves as threats when they continue Group H play against Saudi Arabia on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. Spain (0-0-1, 1 point) controlled their opening match, holding 65 percent of the possession, a 27-6 edge in shots and 7-1 in shots on net. Defender Marc Cucurella chose to focus on the upside of starting with a performance like this. “I think it’s good that it happened to us in the first match,” Cucurella said. “Because maybe it happens to you in another round and you go home.” The addition of teenage star Lamine Yamal off the bench in the 71st minute, returning from a hamstring injury, transformed the attack.