Spain opened World Cup 2026 Group H with a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde in Atlanta, and Ferran Torres had a challenging night. The FC Barcelona forward finished with a Sofascore Rating of 5.7 across 81 minutes. He found some promising spots, even hit the post, but the final touch and duel success were not there.

Shots, xG and the moment that got away

Torres took four shots, with one on target, one off target and two blocked. He generated 0.8857 expected goals, a healthy number that points to decent shot locations. His on-target xG measured 0.167, showing that the one effort on frame was not a clear-cut chance. The big flashpoint was a big chance missed, which carries a real weight in the Sofascore model. He also hit the woodwork once, the closest he came to breaking the deadlock.

The shot value normalized metric came in at -0.69, which reflects the lack of payoff from good positions. With no goal to show from high involvement in the box, the rating slipped. For forwards, missed big chances and blocked shots tend to hurt more than simple low-volume nights. Add the scoreline and the result, and it is easy to see why this performance graded on the lower side. On Sofascore, fans can track these shot quality details live to see how a rating evolves across the 90.

Passing and creation

On the ball, Torres completed 26 of 34 passes for 76.5 percent accuracy. He found teammates 23 times from 30 attempts in the opposition half, which is solid field-position play. In the final third he logged 14 accurate passes, the kind of volume that usually helps tilt pressure. There was one key pass and 0.1196 expected assists, so there was at least one moment created for others. The pass value normalized was a small positive at 0.04, consistent with steady but not decisive distribution.

Crossing was not a source of chances in this one, with four attempted and none accurate. Carrying output was mixed, with nine carries for 126.22 meters in total distance. Only one counted as a progressive carry, adding 14.73 meters upfield, while his best single carry advanced 10.58 meters. The total progression across carries was -11.21 meters, which suggests many resets and backward movements under pressure. In short, he stayed involved between the lines but could not turn touches into clear chances often enough to lift the Sofascore Rating.

Duels and ball security

The big drag on the number came from duels and turnovers. Torres won 1 duel and lost 8, a success rate of 11.1 percent overall. On the ground he did not win a duel, and in the air he won 1, so the aerial side was the lone positive. He finished with 20 possessions lost and four times dispossessed, which compounded the stalled attacks. There was one heavy touch recorded as an unsuccessful touch.

He committed two fouls and was not fouled himself, another small net negative in the model. Dribbling did not land, with zero successful dribbles despite a slight positive dribble value normalized at 0.03. The flip side is he worked without the ball, recovering possession six times in Spain’s press. Total contests were limited at two, so he did not rack up defensive events that could offset attacking misses. All of that added up to a profile that typically sits in the lower Sofascore score range for starting forwards.

Match context: Spain 0-0 Cabo Verde

This World Cup 2026 Group H match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium drew an attendance of 67,640. Spain, ranked 2, met a well-organized Cabo Verde ranked 67, and the game finished level. Referee Adham Mohammad oversaw a physical but controlled contest that included 4 minutes of first-half and 5 minutes of second-half stoppage time. Torres played 81 minutes before being withdrawn, logging 56 touches and staying active across the front. The clean sheet against Spain will please Cabo Verde, while Spain will feel they created enough to win.

Torres’ versatility as a forward who can play ST, LW or RW is a known asset, but this time the finishing touch was missing. The lack of accurate crosses and the duel deficit blunted Spain’s wide threat. Even with high xG moments, the final action did not land, which is exactly what the Sofascore model captures. Fans tracking on Sofascore would have seen the live rating move with each big moment, including the woodwork hit and the missed big chance. In a tight group opener, those margins mattered.

What the 5.7 tells us on Sofascore

Sofascore Rating blends shot quality, creation, duels and ball security into one number. Here, the missed big chance, the negative shot value and the low duel success pushed the score down. Twenty losses of possession and zero accurate crosses also weighed against him. On the positive side, a 76.5 percent pass accuracy in the opposition half and six recoveries prevented the number from dropping further. The displayed Sofascore Rating is 5.7, while an alternative internal version reads 6.6, but the public figure remains 5.7 for this match.

Forwards live by outcomes at this level, and a near goal off the post can swing the narrative quickly. If one of the four shots finds the corner, the model and the story change a lot. As it stands, this was a low mark for a player of Torres’ attacking profile on the international stage. It offers a clear checklist for improvement in the next Group H outing. You can follow Spain’s matches and Ferran Torres’ live numbers, heat maps and player graphics on Sofascore to see how the rating trends from kickoff to full time.