FIFA Fan Festival reopens for some hours today due to weather, organizers say: Live updates

Houston has faced heavy downpours over the last few days, with some street flooding across the city, sparking concerns ahead of Wednesday's FIFA World Cup game.

On Tuesday afternoon, city Mayor John Whitmire held a press conference to share details of how they're preparing for possible tropical downpours.

Some of the preparations included lowering Lake Houston, pre-staging some barricades at flood-prone locations, and law enforcement, as well as public works, were staged across the area.

"We're in touch with NRG officials, certainly the FIFA people. Fan fest. Fan fest has been so responsible, you know, any lighting within eight miles, people are avoiding the outdoors," Whitmire said.

The mayor added that city officials are also in touch with FIFA leaders.

"Certainly, we're in constant touch with first responders in terms of safety and all possibilities. But FIFA controls their games, we know they control the price, admittance, but we run the city," Whitmire said.

Tiny Cape Verde pulled off a stunning result in its World Cup debut, shutting out heavily favored Spain.

An impressive performance by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha helped Cape Verde play one of the favorites to win the tournament to a surprising 0-0 draw. The final score is the biggest shock of the tournament so far, with Spain a -1200 favorite to win the match by some bookmakers.

"The team tried," said Spain midfielder Rodri. "It's about fine-tuning those chances we created because against a team that sits back so much you're not going to have many, and you know you have to take them. It's that simple."

Cape Verde actually had a chance to win the game, but Diney Borges' late header was saved by Spain keeper Unai Simon.

European champion Spain's roster is filled with superstar players. But they were frustrated by the underdogs from Cape Verde, with Vozinha pulling off a string of saves before halftime.

Barcelona forward Ferran Torres came closest to scoring for Spain, hitting the bar with shot and later forcing a save from Vozinha on another well-struck ball.

The keeper also denied Pedri and pushed away another potential score late in the half.

Cape Verde - a group of islands with around half a million inhabitants - is playing at its first World Cup.

The 2010 champion Spain is aiming to win the World Cup for a second time, but coach Luis de la Fuente warned on Sunday that Cape Verde could be one of the surprise teams of the tournament.

Cape Verde continued to defend stubbornly in the second half and not even teenage star Lamine Yamal could turn the game Spain's way after he entered the match.

After its closure on Monday due to stormy weather, FIFA Fan Festival organizers say the event will reopen for some time on Tuesday.

They said the festival will be open from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, instead of 12:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

"The shortened hours of operation remain subject to change if the weather conditions are unfavorable to a safe environment for attendees," organizers added.

Officials said they would continue to monitor weather conditions and update the public on festival hours.

After he opened the scoring in Sweden's 5-1 victory over Tunisia in the World Cup on Sunday night, Yasin Ayari chose not to celebrate. Instead, he raised his hands in apology.

The gesture was a way of paying respect to his heritage.

The 22-year-old Ayari was born in Solna, Sweden, to a Tunisian father, Azzouz Ayari.

Ayari, who represented Sweden at the youth level, was given the chance to switch allegiances and play for Tunisia ahead of the 2022 World Cup, but he declined.

When asked about his son's choice to represent Sweden, Azzouz Ayari told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet earlier this year that he agreed with the decision.

"No, I wanted him to play for Sweden," Azzouz Ayari said. "He must feel like he's giving back to the country that took care of him."

On Saturday, Tunisia coach Sabri Lamouchi also offered support to Ayari.

"I know him and his brother," Lamouchi said. "He made a choice, I have a lot of respect, and he's a very good player. We wish him after the game best of luck, but that is after the game."

In the final seconds, Ayari scored a second goal with a long-range shot to the left corner. He celebrated more enthusiastically, sliding on his knees while cupping his ear with his hand toward the Sweden fans behind the goal.

The fans certainly believe he made the right decision.