European champions Spain defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 at Atlanta Stadium on Sunday night, severely denting the Green Falcons' hopes of advancing to the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup. The result leaves Spain top of Group H with four points, while Saudi Arabia remain on one point in third place. They will need a positive result in their final group match to progress.
Yamal Starts and Makes Immediate Impact
Spain opted to start with 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, who had been on the bench for the opening match against Cape Verde. The decision nearly paid off immediately as he attacked the left side of the Saudi defense from the outset. A dangerous cross in the opening moments caused panic but was cleared to safety, and a shot after four minutes went high and wide.
Saudi Arabia's early game plan was clear: two banks of five in front of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, inviting Spain to break them down while hoping to counter-attack. This was understandable given Spain had failed to breach Cape Verde's packed defense in Match Day 1.
Spain's Early Goals
Yamal's big moment arrived in the 11th minute, tapping in a Mikel Oyarzabal cross from close range to give Spain the early lead. Saudi's defending, however, was poor. Two minutes later, Al-Owais stopped a second Spanish goal by saving at Oyarzabal's feet. After 15 minutes, Saudi's front two of Feras Al-Buraikan and Salem Al-Dawsari had barely featured.
Oyarzabal, who had not touched the ball in the first half hour against Cape Verde, was much livelier here. A long-range shot after 17 minutes forced Al-Owais to save low to his right. Spain's second goal came inevitably in the 21st minute, Oyarzabal tapping home after the Saudi defense failed to clear the ball adequately.
Oyarzabal Hat-Trick and More
Three minutes later, Oyarzabal made it 3-0 with another tap-in, and Saudi thoughts turned to avoiding further humiliation. After 35 minutes, Abdulelah Al-Amri, the goal-scoring hero against Uruguay, tried his luck from distance but the ball bounced safely to Unai Simon. It barely qualified as an effort. Oyarzabal nearly grabbed his hat-trick seconds later but his clipped shot from a tight angle struck the bar.
Coach Georgios Donis brought on Mohamed Kanno for Abdullah Al-Khaibari and Abdullah Al-Hamddan for Musab Al-Juwayr in an effort to turn the tide, but it made little difference, even with Yamal also being substituted off.
Own Goal Seals the Rout
From a 49th-minute corner, Marc Cucurella's volley was deflected into his own net by Hassan Al-Tambakti to give Spain a four-goal lead. Substitute Ferran Torres poked his shot wide when put through and almost made amends by tapping in Pedro Porro's cross in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
In the final Match Day of Group H, Spain will face Uruguay, while Saudi Arabia will take on Cape Verde. The Green Falcons must secure a positive result to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
