World Cup: Yamal, Oyarzabal score as Spain thrash Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Group H tie
Spain’s La Roja have secured their first win of the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia at the Atalanta Stadium on Sunday evening.
Following the disappointing 1-1 draw against Cape Verde in their opening Group H match last week, Spain needed a win to ease the pressure on the team, which is considered one of the tournament favourites.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain 10 minutes into the match, tapping home a cross into the box by Mikel Oyarzabal. It was Yamal’s first start in the competition after only coming off the bench against Cape Verde.
Oyarzabal doubled the lead for the reigning European champions in the 21st minute when he slotted home a pass from Aymeric Laporte from close range before bagging his brace of the evening three minutes later from an assist by Dani Olmo.
Spain extended the lead four minutes into the second half after Hassan Al Tambakti mistakenly rebounded a parried ball by goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais into his own net to seal the victory for the Spanish side.
Substitute Ferran Torres thought he had inked his name on the scoresheet in stoppage time when he tapped a cross by Pedro Porro into the net but the goal was ruled out by the Video Assistant Referee after a lengthy check.
The win temporarily places Spain at the top of Group H with four points pending the conclusion of the second game between Cape Verde and Uruguay.
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