Lamine Yamal's return from a hamstring injury ignited Spain's World Cup campaign as the European champions routed Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta. Making his first start in two months, the Barcelona star ended Spain's long wait for a World Cup goal just 10 minutes in.
First-Half Blitz
Mikel Oyarzabal then struck twice to put Luis de la Fuente's men 3-0 up inside 24 minutes. Oyarzabal pounced on Aymeric Laporte's flick-on from a corner to double the lead, then volleyed home from Dani Olmo's header for his 14th international goal in his last 13 caps. Oyarzabal was inches from a first-half hat-trick when his effort came back off the crossbar.
De la Fuente's careful management of Yamal's minutes continued as the 18-year-old was replaced at half-time. "Had we had a different result, he (Yamal) would've played for longer but given the result and that the match was under control, we considered his contribution was enough for us to have him in the next game," De la Fuente said.
Second-Half Dominance
The changes did not disrupt Spain's attack. The fourth goal came via another corner: Marc Cucurella was afforded space to shoot, and his effort deflected in off Hassan al-Tambakti for an own goal. To round off an ideal afternoon for De la Fuente on his 65th birthday, Nico Williams and Mikel Merino gained valuable minutes off the bench after lengthy injury absences.
"We had to recover good feelings, correct a few things from the last game, but we need to keep improving if we want to achieve our target of getting to the final on July 19," added De la Fuente.
Group H Implications
Victory propels Spain to the top of Group H ahead of Uruguay's meeting with Cape Verde. Billed as pre-tournament favourites, Spain had a slow start with a 0-0 draw against debutants Cape Verde. De la Fuente warned his players were "stung" by criticism and responded emphatically.
Yamal's return was one of four changes, with Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo, and Alex Baena also starting. After over 2,500 passes and 50 attempts since their last World Cup goal, Spain finally found the net. The Saudis, who held Uruguay 1-1 in their opener, showed little evidence that billions spent on their domestic league has aided the national team. Coach Georgios Donis looked irked that two goals came from corners.
Pressure is now on Donis to deliver in Saudi Arabia's final group game against Cape Verde in Houston. Victory would likely take the Arabian Falcons into the knockout stages for the first time since the World Cup was last in the United States 32 years ago. Spain travel to Guadalajara to face two-time winners Uruguay on Friday.
