Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia: Mikel Oyarzabal scores twice and Lamine Yamal scores his first World Cup goal as Luis de la Fuente’s side finally advance to Group H.
Spain beat Saudi Arabia in Atlanta (Image: Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)
There’s a reason they’re European champions. After Monday’s shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, a fired-up Spain side issued a statement.
There were fears that this would be another tough game for Luis de la Fuente’s side, but those concerns were quickly dispelled within 24 minutes as Saudi Arabia were put to the sword. Lamine Yamal’s first World Cup goal opened the floodgates, but Mikel Oyarzabal’s brace ended the game.
England fans will remember the Real Sociedad forward who scored the winning goal against Gareth Southgate’s side in the Euro 2024 final. De la Fuente, who is celebrating his 65th birthday, made four changes to La Roja’s starting lineup and vindicated his decision with the win.
A lineup that looks more stable features Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Gabi and Ferran Torres, with Pedro Polo, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and Yamal coming in. Square peg for square holes.
Get the latest 2026 World Cup news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter
Yamal’s simple goal with 10 minutes left won’t go down in his career goals catalog, but it was a smart run and a back-post tap-in that he needs to master if he wants to put up top-flight Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-level numbers from the wing.
The same was true for Oyarzabal’s second goal, as he outmaneuvered the Saudi defense twice in three minutes and scored twice. He also had an assist, and it was just what the doctor ordered for Spain’s number 21, who had a disappointing night against Cape Verde. Oyarzabal was looking for a third goal before half-time when he fired a shot across goal.
Will Spain win the World Cup? Let us know your prediction in the comments section.
Lamine Yamal scores his first World Cup goal to break the deadlock (Image: Juan Luis Diaz/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
However, the 29-year-old was denied the chance to score a historic World Cup hat-trick by his manager. De la Fuente subbed both he and Yamal during the break, clearly with the closer in mind for Saturday’s Group H match against Uruguay.
Yamal’s fitness remains a concern for Spain, having missed Barcelona’s final knock of the season with a hamstring injury. If you have this much depth in your offense, why don’t you use it?
It was 4-0 within four minutes of the restart. Marc Kukrella’s shot was initially saved by Saudi goalkeeper Mohamed Al Owais, but the ball deflected past Hassan Al Tanbakti and into the goal.
Mikel Oyarzabal was denied a hat-trick after being substituted (Image: Juan Luis Diaz/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
Spain’s substitute players, who almost secured the three points, were able to show their strength. Arsenal’s Mikel Merino played a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Torres, who pushed his shot wide of the target. After a slushy half-hour, the former Manchester City star thought he had finally scored in stoppage time, but his goal was ruled out for offside after a lengthy review by VAR.
But there is no reason for Saudi Arabia to fall. If they win against Cape Verde, they will almost certainly advance to the last 32. The Green Falcons have appeared in seven World Cups and have only reached the finals once, reaching the last 16 in their debut in 1998. Georgios Donis’ team will be looking to make more history next weekend.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with Sky Glass ‘designed for soccer’
From £4.50
sky
Get the deal here
Sky is marking the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 20% discount on its entire range of glass TVs. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to a Sky smart TV ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 a month when taken with a Sky TV and Netflix package.
