Cape Verde show beauty of football in one of the game's biggest mismatches

The essence of football is anyone stands a chance against anyone. With all the financial muscle in the game, that essence becomes harder and harder to see. And yet, there are days like this at the World Cup that defy everything. Spain vs Cape Verde. Tournament favourites vs tournament debutants. A nation who has won four European Championships and one World Cup against a team who lost to Mauritania in qualifying.

Yet a 50 million major football nation could not beat a collection of islands comprising 500,000 people.