Cape Verde Islands and Saudi Arabia play out goalless World Cup stalemate in tight defensive contest

Cape Verde Islands and Saudi Arabia cancelled each other out in a hard-fought 0-0 draw in Match Round 3 of the World Cup, as two well-drilled defences took centre stage in a game short on clear-cut chances but rich in tactical discipline.

• Cape Verde Islands will play with . , on .
• Saudi Arabia will play with . , on .

Cape Verde Islands

• Josimar José Évora Dias (7.2)
• Wagner Fabrício Cardoso Pina (6.9)
• Roberto Carlos Lopes (7.2)
• Edilson Alberto Monteiro Sanches Borges (7.2)
• João Paulo Moreira Fernandes (7.3)
• Kevin Lenini Gonçalves Pereira de Pina (7.2)
• Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça (7)
• Deroy DEncarnação Duarte (7.3)
• Jamiro Gregory Monteiro Alvarenga (6)
• Willy Johnson Semedo Afonso (6.7)
• Dailon Rocha Livramento do Rosario (6.2)

Saudi Arabia

Substitutions:

Cape Verde Islands

• Dailon Rocha Livramento do Rosario (Nuno Miguel da Costa Jóia, 61)
• Willy Johnson Semedo Afonso (Hélio Sandro Oliveira Alves Varela, 61)
• Ryan Isaac Mendes da Graça (Garry Mendes Rodrigues, 71)
• Jamiro Gregory Monteiro Alvarenga (Laros dEncarnação Duarte, 71)
• Wagner Fabrício Cardoso Pina (Steven Moreira, 90)

Saudi Arabia

• Hassan Mohammed Osama Al Tambakti (Ali Mohammed Ali Lajami, 33)
• Abdullah Mohammed Hamza Al Ber Al Khaibari (Musab Fahad Zaid Al Juwayr, 46)
• Salem Mohammed Shafi Al Dawsari (Mohammed Waheeb Saeed Abu Al Shamat, 66)
• Sultan Ahmed Mohammed Mandash (Abdullah Abdulrahman Abdullah Al Hamdan, 66)
• Nawaf Mashari Abdulrahman Boushal (Moteb Saad Salim Al Naqi Al Harbi, 82)

Ball possession:

Cape Verde edged possession with 51% of the ball to Saudi Arabia’s 49% and were the more frequent shooters, but neither side could find the composure in front of goal to turn territorial gains into a breakthrough.

Passes:

Kevin Lenini Gonçalves Pereira de Pina was Cape Verde’s most persistent attacking outlet, repeatedly trying his luck as part of a tally of 15 attempts, of which only two found the target. At the other end, Abdulelah Ali Awadh Al Amri led Saudi Arabia’s response with the most efforts on goal for his side, as they mustered seven shots, three of them on target.

Defense:

Yet, in a match where both teams needed a result to strengthen their World Cup position, it was the defences – and the work without the ball – that truly defined the contest.

Face-to-face:

### Defensive duels dominate in cagey encounter

Fouls:

Yellow cards:

• Wagner Fabrício Cardoso Pina (Cape Verde Islands) at 9 minute
• Saud Abdullah Salem Abdulhamid (Saudi Arabia) at 4 minute
• Nasser Essa Shafi Al Shardan Al Dawsari (Saudi Arabia) at 67 minute
• Feras Tariq Nasser Al Brikan (Saudi Arabia) at 90 minute

The last five games (including this match):

• Cape Verde Islands –
• Saudi Arabia –

Top 5 World Cup scorers:

1. Masour Ousmane Dembélé (3, )
2. Nicolas Pépé (2, )
3. Vinícius José Paixão de Oliveira Júnior (2, )
4. Pape Alassane Gueye (2, )
5. Désiré Doué (1, )

Line-ups:

Next games:

• Cape Verde Islands will play with . , on .
• Saudi Arabia will play with . , on .