New York, June 18 -- Spain midfielder Mikel Merino urged caution after Spain was held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde on Tuesday in its FIFA World Cup 2026 opening match.
Spain were held by a stunning rearguard action by the World Cup debutants in the biggest surprise so far of the tournament and one which as already set alarm bells ringing in Spain after a sluggish opening display.
Speaking to the press, Merino admitted frustration at the result and pointed out that with a 48-team World Cup there was more time between games, when "you have lots of time," to think about a bad result when "what you want after a bad game is to play again straight away to get the bad taste out of your mouth.""It's a mental challenge to deal with that," he admitt...