▲ Lamine Yamal
Spain, the "Invincible Armada" considered a top contender for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, secured its first victory of the tournament by routing Saudi Arabia with four goals.
On June 22 (KST), Spain dominated Saudi Arabia 4-0 in their Group H second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup held at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, USA, led by a stellar performance from Mikel Oyarzabal, who recorded two goals and one assist.
Spain had previously faced embarrassment in their opening group match, drawing 0-0 against tournament debutant Cape Verde despite outshooting them 27 to 6. With this win, they have reclaimed their pride as a title favorite.
Spain has now accumulated 4 points with their first win, while Saudi Arabia remains at 1 point with one draw and one loss.
"Rising star" Lamine Yamal seized the momentum by scoring his World Cup debut goal just 10 minutes into the first half.
Oyarzabal penetrated the left flank and delivered a low cross into the box, which Yamal calmly finished at the far post to open the scoring.
Eleven minutes later, Oyarzabal found the net himself to double the lead.
Following a corner kick, Dani Olmo lofted the ball into the goal area. The Saudi defense failed to clear it properly, and after Aymeric Laporte headed the ball down, Oyarzabal pushed forward and slotted it into the right side of the goal.
Oyarzabal completed his brace just three minutes later.
After Marc Cucurella received a diagonal cross and headed it to Olmo, Olmo connected with a header that Oyarzabal finished from close range, capping off a brilliant first half where he was involved in all three goals.
Having finished the first half with a comfortable 3-0 lead, Spain kept up the pressure and extended the gap to 4-0 just four minutes into the second half.
A corner kick from Alejandro Baena on the left flank drifted to the back, where Cucurella connected with a volley.
Although goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais initially blocked the shot, the rebound deflected off Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tambakti for an own goal.
Spain continued their relentless offensive even after the outcome was effectively decided. In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, Ferran Torres appeared to seal the rout with a left-footed shot from a Pedro Porro cross.
However, the goal was overturned following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review due to offside.
Spain completely overwhelmed Saudi Arabia, leading 22 to 3 in total shots, with 8 shots on target compared to Saudi Arabia's 1.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.