Mikel Merino said Spain players are mourning after Cape Verde draw. Spain played a goalless draw in Atlanta on Monday as they could not find the back of the net despite eight shots on target.

Spain, the second-ranked team in FIFA rankings, dominated the possession with 62% but Cape Verde was brilliant in their defense. Vozinha, Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, made seven saves to keep Spain at bay and was awarded the MVP.

Thus, there will be pressure on Spain for their remaining group games against Saudi Arabia and Uruguay.

“Each player has his way of dealing with the mourning,” Merino told journalists in a half-hour news conference on Tuesday. “Some like to watch the video back straight away. Others like to disconnect. It’s a moment to swallow the disappointment of not getting the three points. We’re already thinking about what we have to improve.”

Merino revealed the Spanish players were struggling to cope with the result when he was asked to explain the word he used ‘mourning’.

“Perhaps I didn’t express myself well, it was an attempt at a metaphor, a comparison,” he said. “Nobody has died. It isn’t mourning as such. But sometimes defeats feel like that. When you’re so competitive, you want to be at your best. When you don’t achieve it, you get home and you don’t even want to speak to your family. That’s why it’s a bit like mourning.”

Merino recalled that defending champions Argetina were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia in their opening game of 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“A lot of great stories have started with games that weren’t so good,” Merino said. “Like the last world champions, who started by losing to Saudi Arabia in 2022 and ended up winning it… It’s early, we have room for improvement.”

Spain will next take on Saudi Arabia on Sunday.