Lamine Yamal Makes History in Spain’s Win Over Saudi Arabia
Spain revived their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4‑0 victory against Saudi Arabia, thanks largely to the brilliance of teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.
Just ten minutes into the match in Atlanta, Yamal slipped the ball past the goalkeeper after a pin‑point cross from Mikel Oyarzabal, giving La Roja an early lead.
The strike made Yamal Spain’s second‑youngest World Cup goalscorer at 18 years and 343 days, only behind Gavi, who found the net at 18 years and 110 days during the 7‑0 win over Costa Rica in November 2022.
Spain continued to press and doubled their advantage in the 21st minute when Saudi Arabia failed to clear a corner; Oyarzabal pounced on the loose ball to finish.
Three minutes later Oyarzabal completed his brace, tapping in a flick‑on from Dani Olmo to make it 3‑0 before halftime.
Early in the second half, a powerful shot from Marc Cucurella was saved by Mohammed Al‑Owais, but the rebound struck defender Hassan Al‑Tambakti and looped into his own net, extending the lead to 4‑0.
Substitute Ferran Torres thought he had added a fifth goal deep into stoppage time, but VAR ruled the effort offside after a lengthy review.
Frustrations boiled over for the Green Falcons, with Salem Al‑Dawsari and Mohamed Kanno receiving yellow cards as Spain’s attacking wave proved too much to handle.
The win stretches Spain’s unbeaten run to twelve matches and significantly improves their chances of topping the group after the opening draw with Cape Verde. For Saudi Arabia, qualification now hinges on securing a positive result against Cape Verde in their final group fixture.
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