Spain raced into a 3-0 half time lead against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal opening the scoring before Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice to put the Group H clash beyond doubt.
Yamal needed just 10 minutes of his first World Cup start to get off the mark, latching onto Oyarzabal’s whipped cross at the back post to finish on the slide after Alex Baena had threaded the move down the line. The 18-year-old, still working back to full fitness following his recent injury, fell to his knees in celebration as the crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium rose for him.
Oyarzabal then took centre stage himself. The forward doubled Spain’s lead in the 21st minute, profiting from a clever flick by Aymeric Laporte in the box, before adding a third just three minutes later, poking home from close range after Dani Olmo headed back across the six yard area. It capped a remarkable turnaround for Oyarzabal, who had gone unnoticed for the opening half hour of Spain’s draw with Cape Verde but now has two goals and an assist inside 25 minutes, taking his tally to 14 goals and seven assists in his last 13 appearances for the national side.
Saudi Arabia, who threatened little going forward, saw captain Salem Aldawsari booked for a late challenge on Pedro Porro in the 30th minute, while defender Abdulelah Al Amri’s audacious effort from inside his own half, after spotting Unai Simon off his line, drifted well off target. The Saudis briefly enjoyed more of the ball following the hydration break but were unable to threaten Spain’s goal, managing only Al Amri’s long range strike as their solitary effort in the Spain half.
Spain’s response to their opening day draw with Cape Verde has been emphatic, with head coach Luis de la Fuente fielding a notably youthful side. Yamal and Pau Cubarsi became the latest pair to extend Spain’s record as the only nation in this century to field three teenagers in a World Cup match on three separate occasions. With Yamal not yet expected to play a full 90 minutes, De la Fuente sent on Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres to warm up before the break, suggesting a substitution for the teenager is likely early in the second half.
Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis faces a difficult task at the interval, with his side yet to register a shot on target and their World Cup campaign already hanging by a thread.
