What is the story about?
Spain
bounced back in impressive fashion from their disappointing World Cup 2026 opening draw against Cape Verde with a dominant 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon in their second game in Group H. La Roja showed why they’re one of the tournament’s favorites with a fantastic attacking performance led by Mikel Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal, who scored his first career World Cup goal on his first start and needed just 45 minutes on the pitch to show his brilliance.
Reactions & Observations
- Spain had a big change in attitude and personnel compared to the first game: Luis de la Fuente started more attack-minded players and the team was more aggressive and dynamic in all phases of their offense, and Saudi Arabia’s 5-4-1 low block was easily broken down early and often by the La Roja attack.
- Lamine Yamal was on it from the start, with direct dribbling, shots from distance and a very smart run at the far post to tap home a great assist from Mikel Oyarzabal, who was the other star of the opening period with two goals as Spain sealed the win with three goals in the first 25 minutes.
- De La Fuente kept his word and replaced Yamal at halftime as he continues to build up his fitness post-injury, but Lamine’s performance in the first half showed why he’s Spain’s best player and biggest hope for a deep World Cup run. Spain are quite simply a whole different (and better) team with Yamal on it.
- Another Barça player who had a very good afternoon in Atlanta was Dani Olmo, who earned the starting spot after a strong showing against Cape Verde and repaid his manager’s faith with a great all-around performance in midfield, including an assist and some excellent touches and decisions in tight spaces.
- The second half was naturally played at a much slower pace, but Spain still scored a fourth and had other chances throughout the period, but Ferran Torres missed some good opportunities and had a goal disallowed for a tight offside in added time. The overall performance at the end of 90 minutes was still very good, however, and Spain showed their strength in a big way in a must-win game.
