A World Cup punter lost $1 million after Cape Verde's shock draw with Spain. The tiny African nation pulled off one of the all-time World Cup upsets in their tournament debut, holding the reigning European champions to a 0-0 draw on Monday evening.
Spain Dominates but Fails to Score
Luis de la Fuente's side dominated large swaths of the game, but poor finishing and an inspired performance from Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha kept the score level. One fan was so confident of a Spanish victory that they bet $1 million (£745,405) on an emphatic win, which would have netted a profit of £85,943.48. However, the bet lost.
Another user had better luck, betting $400,000 (£298,000) on Spain not to win, landing an eye-watering £3.5 million profit. Both bets were placed on Polymarket, a controversial American crypto-currency platform. The platform counts Donald Trump Jr., son of the US President, as an advisor and investor. It has already been banned in Brazil and France.
Spain Boss Reflects on Draw
“We lacked freshness and finesse,” de la Fuente said. “We need to keep working on our approach, improving our finishing, being more clinical. These are the kinds of matches where you create a lot of chances, but we lacked the necessary sharpness.” He added: “They are a very organized team. From the first moment, we saw that they sat deep, with all 10 players practically in front of the penalty area. It’s very difficult to create space like that.”
Manchester City midfielder Rodri fired a brutal dig at Cape Verde, slamming their defensive approach. “It wasn’t meant to be. There’s little to complain about. We knew it was a game that required patience. They sat back and dropped back very quickly. We couldn’t put it in. We created chances, but couldn’t finish. The positive thing is that they barely created anything against us. We need to improve our finishing.”
When asked why his side couldn't find a way through, Rodri added: “That’s how they play. They don’t get past midfield. It’s a matter of improving our finishing.”
