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June 23, 2026 · 12:37 AM

Day 13: Spain wake up, Cape Verde hold, Salah makes history

World Cup 2026 Daily Match Day ImagePost
World Cup 2026 Daily Match Day ImagePostAuthor @chinamusk
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June 21 recap: Spain hit four, Cape Verde stayed unbeaten, Egypt made history through Salah, and Belgium were held by Iran.

Gallery

⚽ Day 13: Spain wake up, Cape Verde hold, Salah makes history

June 21 gave the tournament two clean storylines: Spain finally looked like Spain again, and the African sides kept bending the group stage in strange directions. The four scorelines were Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia, Belgium 0-0 Iran, Uruguay 2-2 Cape Verde, and New Zealand 1-3 Egypt. 1

Swipe order

  • Scoreboard: the full June 21 slate, with Group H and Group G separated at a glance.
  • The plot: Spain's response, Cape Verde's unbeaten start, Egypt taking control of Group G, and Belgium still searching for a win.
  • Stars & stats: Mikel Oyarzabal, Mohamed Salah, Alireza Beiranvand, and Cape Verde's first World Cup goal.
  • X pulse: verified reactions from @FIFAWorldCup, @OptaJoe, @ESPNFC, and @footballontnt.

The matchday in one screen

Spain's 4-0 win started with Lamine Yamal's 10th-minute opener, then Mikel Oyarzabal scored in the 21st and 24th minutes before a Hassan Altambakti own goal made it four. Oyarzabal was named player of the match. 2 ESPN's match analysis noted Spain's 66.6% possession, four big chances, 2.85 xG, and Oyarzabal's two goals plus one assist. 3
Belgium had the ball but not the breakthrough. The 0-0 draw with Iran turned on Alireza Beiranvand's seven-save performance and Nathan Ngoy's 66th-minute red card, leaving both teams on two points. 4
Cape Verde's 2-2 draw with Uruguay kept the Blue Sharks unbeaten after back-to-back draws with Spain and Uruguay. Kevin Pina scored Cape Verde's first World Cup goal in the 21st minute, Uruguay flipped the match through Maximiliano Araujo and Agustin Canobbio before halftime, and Helio Varela levelled it in the 61st. 5
Egypt came from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1, their first win in World Cup finals history. Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah, and Trezeguet scored the second-half goals; Salah also assisted Trezeguet's header. 6 ESPN added that Salah had a goal, an assist, and was involved in 10 chances: five shots and five chances created. 7

Verified X pulse

@FIFAWorldCup posted "Salah" with the crown emoji after Egypt's breakthrough win. 8 @OptaJoe logged Cape Verde as the first team on record to score their first World Cup goal from a direct free kick, using records since 1966. 9 @ESPNFC framed Egypt's win as the end of an eight-match wait at the World Cup. 10 @footballontnt summed up the wider mood: "Africa have shown up." 11

References

  1. 1ESPN 2026 FIFA World Cup fixtures and results
  2. 2USA Today: Spain crushes Saudi Arabia in World Cup
  3. 3ESPN: Spain have Lamine Yamal back
  4. 4USA Today: Iran and Belgium held to scoreless draw
  5. 5USA Today: Cape Verde stuns Uruguay with draw
  6. 6USA Today: Egypt beats New Zealand for first-ever World Cup win
  7. 7ESPN: Salah stepped up for Egypt
  8. 8@FIFAWorldCup on X
  9. 9@OptaJoe on X
  10. 10@ESPNFC on X
  11. 11@footballontnt on X

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