Spain Held, Belgium and Saudi Arabia Draw: Day Four Delivers Four Stalemates

Sunday's slate of World Cup fixtures refused to produce a winner anywhere, with all four matches ending level and the group standings remaining delightfully tangled heading into the next round of games.

The biggest surprise of the day came in Atlanta, where Spain were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Africans showed tremendous defensive organisation to deny one of the tournament favourites, and the result was tinged with emotion off the pitch too — reports emerged that Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha was in tears after visa complications prevented his mother from attending the match. It was a result that will send shockwaves through what many expected to be a straightforward group for the Spanish side.

In Seattle, Belgium and Egypt played out a 1-1 draw at Lumen Field, a result that suits neither side particularly well in the early standings. Belgium, a team widely tipped to go deep in the tournament, will feel they left points on the table, while Egypt will take heart from avoiding defeat against a stronger opponent on paper.

Saudi Arabia and Uruguay also shared the spoils at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, finishing 1-1 in what promises to be a tightly contested group. Meanwhile in Los Angeles, Iran and New Zealand produced the most eventful scoreline of the day, drawing 2-2 at SoFi Stadium. The Iran camp has been surrounded by off-field tension in the build-up, with their coach publicly criticising FIFA and US authorities over the treatment of his squad, including reported visa difficulties for at least one player. On the pitch, however, they showed enough to earn a point against the All Whites.