Spain began the World Cup as European champions and one of the teams expected to go deep.
With players such as Rodri, Pedri and Lamine Yamal in their squad, their opening game against Cape Verde looked like one of the safest fixtures on the schedule.
That made the 0-0 draw even more stunning. It was the biggest shock of the tournament so far, and one punter felt the damage more than most.
Polymarket punter loses nearly $1 million after Spain draw
Polymarket, a prediction market platform which has become popular in recent years, revealed before kick-off that one user had backed Spain heavily.
The punter placed $999,068 on Spain to beat Cape Verde, with the market giving the European champions a 92% chance of winning.
The bet would have returned $1,085,943.48, meaning a profit of $86,875.48 if Spain had done what most expected.
Instead, Cape Verde held firm and the match finished goalless. That meant the punter lost almost one million dollars on a result few saw coming.
Spain dominate stats but still fail to win
The numbers only made the outcome more remarkable.
According to SofaScore, Spain finished with 74% possession and generated 2.1 expected goals. They also created two big chances, took 27 shots and won 11 corners.
On another night, that pressure would usually be enough. Against Cape Verde, it only underlined how wasteful Spain were and how resilient the underdogs had to be.
Cape Verde’s defensive structure, goalkeeper Vozinha and their willingness to suffer made the point historic.
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