Lamine Yamal’s return sparked Spain’s World Cup campaign as they beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta. Making his first start in two months after a hamstring injury, Yamal scored just 10 minutes into the match.
Mikel Oyarzabal then struck twice to put Luis de la Fuente’s men 3-0 up inside 24 minutes. De la Fuente carefully managed Yamal’s minutes, replacing him at half-time before Hassan al-Tambakti’s goal sealed the victory.
“De la Fuente emphasized the need for recovery and improvement,” he said. Victory puts Spain atop Group H ahead of Uruguay’s clash with Cape Verde on Sunday.
Despite dominating possession in their 0-0 draw against debutants Cape Verde, Spain struggled without Yamal. De la Fuente warned players were “stung” by criticism following their opening game and responded emphatically.
Four changes were made to the lineup, including Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo, and Alex Baena. Oyarzabal found space in behind the Saudi defense and scored from a low cross, while Olmo’s header set up Yamal’s goal.
Oyarzabal was inches away from a hat-trick but his shot hit the crossbar. The fourth goal came via another corner, rebounding off Tambakti.
De la Fuente’s birthday added to the celebrations as Nico Williams and Mikel Merino started in the second half due to injury. The pressure is now on Saudi Arabia’s coach Georgios Donis to secure a knockout stage spot in their final game against Cape Verde.