Spain demolishes Saudi Arabia 4-0 as teen Yamal and Oyarzabal set World Cup benchmarks
A commanding first half in Atlanta saw Spain recover from their opening draw, with Lamine Yamal notching a historic goal and Mikel Oyarzabal striking twice inside 24 minutes.
Luis de la Fuente's side bounced back emphatically from a goalless stalemate with Cape Verde, overwhelming Saudi Arabia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to move top of Group H. The 4-0 victory was built on a blistering opening spell that rewrote the record books.
Rapid-fire goals set new marks
The scoring opened in the 10th minute when Mikel Oyarzabal slid a low cross for Lamine Yamal to tap in. Oyarzabal then pounced on a corner in the 21st minute and completed his brace three minutes later after a team move finished off from Dani Olmo's pass. Spain led 3-0 after 24 minutes, the fastest three-goal advantage they have ever held in a World Cup or European Championship finals match.
- Yamal scores from Oyarzabal's cross (1-0)
- Oyarzabal converts a corner (2-0)
- Oyarzabal finishes a team move, assist Olmo (3-0)
- Cucurella's shot deflects off Al-Tambakti for an own goal (4-0)
Yamal surpasses a legend
Aged 18 years and 343 days, Yamal became the youngest player to score at both a World Cup and a European Championship. He also netted his first World Cup goal earlier than Lionel Messi, who was 18 years and 357 days old when he scored against Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. Yamal, who missed the Cape Verde game with injury, made his first World Cup start count.
Spain achieved a 3-0 lead faster than ever before in any of their European Championship or World Cup finals fixtures.
Oyarzabal enters exclusive club
Oyarzabal's two goals and assist inside 25 minutes placed him in rarefied company. Since comprehensive data collection began in 1966, only one other player had been directly involved in three World Cup goals within the first 25 minutes of a match: Hungary's Laszlo Fazekas, who managed it against El Salvador in 1982. Spain also became the first nation to have two different players score at a World Cup before turning 19, with Yamal joining Gavi, who struck against Costa Rica in 2022.
Second-half control and late VAR drama
Spain eased off after the break, but Marc Cucurella's 49th-minute shot deflected off Hassan Al-Tambakti for an own goal, the eighth own goal of the tournament. Substitute Ferran Torres had a stoppage-time finish ruled out for offside after a VAR review. Saudi Arabia managed only one tame effort on target, easily held by Unai Simón.
