Spain routs Saudi Arabia 4-0 after Yamal’s pre-match blast at critics; first win in Group H

Pre-match defiance

Lamine Yamal hit out at journalists before the match, accusing them of rushing to label Spain “terrible” after the goalless draw with Cape Verde.

“You journalists are in such a hurry to finish your job. We are only in the first matchday and we have one point. Portugal got one point. Argentina won 3-0 and France won 3-1. And already you think the final will be France vs Argentina? I don’t understand. Instead of enjoying the games, you want to jump to conclusions. Now Spain is awful. But those of you who know, know that’s not the case.”

Yamal also dismissed any obsession with goal tallies, stating he only wants to win the World Cup.

First-half blitz

Spain wasted no time in Atlanta. Yamal, restored to the starting lineup, tapped in a low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal after 10 minutes. Oyarzabal then turned scorer, sweeping home a cutback in the 21st minute and slotting in a close-range finish three minutes later following Marc Cucurella’s delivery and a Dani Olmo header. The three-goal burst inside 14 minutes left Saudi Arabia shell-shocked.

Second-half cruise

Coach Luis de la Fuente withdrew Yamal and Oyarzabal at the interval to preserve energy. Spain added a fourth four minutes after the restart, when Cucurella’s powerful shot was parried by goalkeeper Elauis only for the ball to rebound off Al-Tambakti and into the net. The pace dropped after the 70th minute as Spain conserved themselves for the final group match.

Group H picture

The result leaves Spain on four points from two games and Saudi Arabia on one point. Uruguay and Cape Verde, also on one point each after drawing their openers, meet later. Spain face Uruguay on 27 June while Saudi Arabia take on Cape Verde.

Spain4

Saudi Arabia1

Uruguay*1

Cape Verde*1

Spain

4 points

Saudi Arabia

1 points

Uruguay*

1 points

Cape Verde*

1 points

Data from the article text

“I don’t have an obsession with scoring goals. First of all, they are all at least 10 years older than me, and my style of play is different. I only want to win … you can score 16 goals in the tournament and get knocked out in the semifinals. I don’t want that. My mission remains clear, I really want to win the World Cup.”