Lamine Yamal scores first World Cup goal as Spain rout Saudi Arabia 4-0 on De la Fuente's 65th birthday

Yamal makes instant impact

Lamine Yamal, starting for the first time since a hamstring injury in April, needed only ten minutes to end Spain's World Cup goal drought that had stretched to almost 300 minutes. The 18-year-old slid in at the far post to meet a driven cross from Mikel Oyarzabal, sending a roar through Atlanta's stadium. "Life is to be enjoyed," Yamal had said, and his early touches (a Cruyff turn that spun Salem Al-Dawsari, a teasing cross that forced a clearance) injected urgency into a side that had drawn a blank against Cape Verde. Before the opening goal he had already fired over, set up Pedro Porro and drawn gasps with his close control on the right flank. Coach Luis de la Fuente, who turned 65 on matchday and had likened the teenager to Salvador Dalí and Michelangelo, withdrew him at half-time to preserve his fitness for Uruguay.

Oyarzabal silences critics

Mikel Oyarzabal bore the brunt of criticism after Spain's opening 0-0 draw, having failed to register a touch in the first half-hour against Cape Verde. He answered with two goals in three minutes. The first arrived from a corner, Aymeric Laporte nodding down for Oyarzabal to bundle in at close range with the outside of his left foot. The second was a beautifully worked team move: Pedro Porro floated a pass to Marc Cucurella, who hooked the ball to Dani Olmo; his header across the six-yard box was volleyed in by Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad striker nearly completed a hat-trick before the interval, chipping against the crossbar after goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais had gifted him the ball. His two-goal haul brought his Spain tally to 27 in 55 appearances and restored his reputation as the finisher in De la Fuente's attack.

A birthday present for De la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente had joked he wanted a new jumper for his 65th birthday, but his players delivered something far better. The coach made four changes and switched to a 4-2-3-1 formation, and the result was a display that erased the frustration of the Cape Verde stalemate. Spain were 3-0 up inside 24 minutes, their earliest three-goal lead at a World Cup in generations. After Yamal and Oyarzabal were substituted at the break, the scoring continued when Marc Cucurella's volley from a corner was parried by Al-Owais onto defender Hassan Altambakti and into the net for an own goal four minutes after the restart. Ferran Torres had a stoppage-time effort ruled out for offside, but the outcome was never in doubt.

Group H picture

Spain move top of Group H on four points, while Saudi Arabia remain on one after two games. The European champions face Uruguay in their final group match, needing only a point to guarantee progression. Saudi Arabia, who must beat Cape Verde and hope for other results to go their way, managed their first shot on target only in the 81st minute. For Spain, the afternoon marked a return to the fluid, attack-minded football that made them pre-tournament favourites, with Alex Baena, Dani Olmo and Pedro Porro all impressing alongside the headline acts. As Yamal said, life is to be enjoyed (and on this evidence, Spain are finally having fun again.