Spain defeated Saudi Arabia 4–0, with Lamine Yamal opening the scoring early and an Oyarzabal brace.
Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, with early goals from Lamine Yamal before Mikel Oyarzabal added a brace, as Spain secured a commanding and one-sided victory in the Atlanta stadium.
Spain had the game in their hands immediately after the opening whistle, dominating possession and creating the clearer opportunities as they looked to strengthen their position in the race for a place in the knockout stages. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, sought to remain compact and threaten on the counterattack in an attempt to frustrate the European side, but found it difficult to break foward consistently due to Spain’s high press.
Lamine Yamal opened scoring for Spain in the 10th minute, after converting a wing pass from Oyarzabal into the box. This early opener from Yamal makes him the second 18-year-old or under player to open scoring in a World Cup match after Pelé who was 17years old in 1958, making Spain the first nation with two teen scorers.
Spain doubled their lead in the 21st minute through Mikel Oyarzabal, who pounced on a loose ball deflected in the penalty box from Dani olmo and Laporte. He reacted sharply, taking a composed touch before firing a clinical finish into the right side of the net.
Mike Oyarzabal struck once again just minutes later after scoring the first, with an assist from Dani Olmo who gets the ball and heads jt over the defense to Oyarzabal, who meets it nicely and fires in into the back of the net, making it their third goal all in the first half. This brace increases his goal tally to 28 senior international goals for Spain.
Saudi Arabia found themselves pinned back for much of the half, with Spain’s high press disrupting their build-up play and preventing them from creating sustained attacking pressure.
The Spaniards added another goal in the 49th minute, through a shot from Cucurella, but was recorded as an own goal after the ball briefly touched the arm of Al-tombakti on its way into the net, making it 4-0. Spain thought they had a 5th goal in stoppage time through Ferran Torres, but was declared offside after a lengthy VAR call.
Spain with this win, have now taken a big step toward the knockout stage. They are currently sitting comfortably at the top end of the table. As for Saudi Arabia, they are still alive in the World Cup but face a difficult path to qualification after this 4-0 defeat to Spain, and will need a positive result in their final group game against Cape Verde to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.
