Spain v Saudi Arabia: La Roja run riot; Yamal lights up Atlanta
The reigning European champions secured a clear and convincing victory over the Saudi Arabian national team, who were beaten 4–0
In Atlanta, at the state-of-the-art Mercedes‑Benz Stadium, Spain secured a clear and convincing victory on the second matchday of Group H of the 2026 World Cup, thrashing Saudi Arabia 4–0 and effectively sealing the win by half-time.
Following their disappointing draw against Cape Verde on the opening day, La Roja took to the pitch with an aggressive, direct approach, a far cry from the struggles they had shown in their debut match. From the very first minutes, their high press and quick passing caused the Saudi defence considerable problems.
In the 10th minute, Lamine Yamal – who had started the match from the first minute after coming on as a substitute in the second half of his debut – finished off a move built up down the right and set up by Oyarzabal from close range, scoring his first World Cup goal in true opportunist fashion.
The goal did not alter the momentum of the match; on the contrary, it increased Spain’s dominance. De La Fuente’s side stepped up the pace even further and scored in quick succession: in the 21st minute, it was Oyarzabal again; the Basque striker capitalised on a well-worked move to double the lead.
And just three minutes later, he scored his second goal of the match to make it 3–0 for the time being. At this point, Oyarzabal found the net with a close-range finish that completely threw the Saudi defence into disarray.
