On the same day as his move to Real Madrid from Chelsea was confirmed, Marc Cucurella started for Spain in their first World Cup game of the summer against Cape Verde.
On Sunday evening, it emerged that Cucurella was set to join Real Madrid from Chelsea. By Monday, a deal had been confirmed by both clubs, with Madrid paying Chelsea an initial fee worth £47.5m.
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With add-ons, the deal is set to reach £51.8m; a £17.5m profit on Chelsea’s books. The move came as a surprise to Chelsea fans, but it also seemed to be a shock for Cucurella’s partner Claudia Rodriguez.
The defender has put pen to paper on a six-year deal at the Bernabeu and becomes the fifth player that Jose Mourinho has signed from Chelsea. On Monday night, he started for Spain against Cape Verde.
Marc Cucurella shows attacking creativity, but Spain struggle
It was a script footballing fans have seen before. Cape Verde kept 11 players behind the ball and looked to thwart a dominant Spain side, who won Euro 2024. Despite this, Spain were expected to win easily.
However, it was a struggle for Luis De La Fuente’s side. They huffed and puffed, enjoying north of 80% possession and boasting numerous chances, but they could not find their way past goalkeeper Vozinha.
Cucurella often broke free on the left of the penalty area with the likes of Rodri or Fabian Ruiz clipping all over the defence, and it led to Spain’s best chance of the first 45, Ferran Torres hitting the bar.
Despite their dominance, and the introduction of Lamine Yamal just before the 70th minute, Spain were unable to find a way through. A crazy 24 hours for Cucurella ended on a sour note, as Spain failed to win.
Marc Cucurella’s stats for Spain as Cape Verde win a point
A frustrating night for Spain. Chance after chance, pass after pass, but Cape Verde held form, with the defence producing arguably the performance of their lives. Spain’s attackers, in comparison, were poor.
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Cucurella could not have put it on a plate better for Torres to score, boasting an XA of 0.38 just for his sideways header. Indeed, the whole match saw Cucurella produce a total of 0.44 for his expected assists.
It almost goes without saying that Cucurella kept the ball well. He completed 94% of his passes, totalling 63/67, while clocking up 85 touches. He even had a late chance, which he might have done better with.
Ultimately a tidy performance from the Brighton man. But Spain needed a marauding one, a player to take the game by the scruff of the neck and ultimately, it is a dismal start to their World Cup campaign.
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