Spain 4–0 Saudi Arabia: Yamal and Oyarzabal blitz kickstarts La Roja's campaign
Spain announced their arrival at the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia in Group H, bouncing back from a goalless draw with Cape Verde in their opener. Teenager Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, poking home at a tight angle after Mikel Oyarzabal's low cross.
Oyarzabal then took over, striking in the 21st and 24th minutes to put the game beyond Saudi Arabia inside half an hour. The double made him the only player on record (since 1966) to score twice and set up another goal inside the opening 25 minutes of a World Cup match, and Spain became the first side since Germany in 2014 to net three times within 25 minutes.
With the contest decided, Luis de la Fuente withdrew both Yamal and Oyarzabal at the interval. Spain still added a fourth shortly after the break when Marc Cucurella's effort from a corner was deflected into his own net by Hassan Al Tambakti in the 49th minute. Ferran Torres later had a goal ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Key moments
- •Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, set up by Mikel Oyarzabal.
- •Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice in three minutes (21' and 24') to seal the result early.
- •Oyarzabal is the only player on record (since 1966) to score twice and assist another inside the first 25 minutes of a World Cup match.
- •An own goal by Hassan Al Tambakti made it 4-0 in the 49th minute.
- •The win was Spain's first of the tournament after a goalless draw with Cape Verde.
Timeline
Match facts
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- Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Match report generated from publicly available sources. Facts are drawn from the sources below.