Atlanta: Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha etched his name into the football record books at the Atlanta Stadium, becoming the oldest goalkeeper in tournament history to keep a clean sheet on his FIFA World Cup debut.

The 40-year-old shot-stopper achieved the feat during Cape Verde's historic maiden World Cup match against reigning European champions Spain, which ended in a stunning 0-0 draw. At exactly 40 years and 12 days old, the veteran also became the second-oldest player across any position to make a men’s World Cup debut, capping off an international career that spans 14 years and over 80 appearances.

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The African debutants constructed a deep, compact five-man low block to absorb unrelenting pressure from Spain, who dominated nearly 75 per cent of possession. The tactical approach threw Vozinha directly into the spotlight, forcing him to make a sequence of world-class interventions to deny a highly decorated Spanish attack that unleashed 27 total shots.

The veteran keeper's defining moments unfolded in a chaotic period just before the interval. Spain's Ferran Torres struck the crossbar in the 39th minute, allowing the rebound to fall perfectly to Mikel Oyarzabal. The forward unleashed a looping header that looked destined for the net, only for Vozinha to produce a spectacular lunging reflex save to tip the ball over the bar. Deep into first-half injury time, he rescued his side again, diving low to his left to execute a vital fingertip save from an authoritative Aymeric Laporte header.

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Vozinha, whose real name is Josimar José Évora Dias, currently plays club football for GD Chaves in the second tier of Portugal. He added four more crucial blocks in the second half, finishing the evening with seven total saves to earn Player of the Match honours and guide the 67th-ranked nation to their first-ever tournament point.

The emotional weight of the achievement was evident at the final whistle, with the veteran visible in tears on the pitch. Speaking to FIFA prior to the match, Vozinha had reflected on his childhood struggles growing up on the island of São Vicente, where he was initially rejected by scouts due to his height, adding that playing on the World Cup stage had been a dream since his youth. Following his historic performance, reports say, the keeper's global profile experienced an unprecedented surge, with his social media following on Instagram skyrocketing from 43,000 to over 1.9 million overnight.