ATLANTA (AP) — After a highly criticized World Cup debut, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal returned to Atlanta Stadium with a vengeance on Sunday.
Oyarzabal, on Monday, became the first player since 1966 to fail to record a touch in the first 30 minutes of a World Cup match.
Nearly a week later, the 5-foot-11 forward found a new home in the record books with a two-goal, one assist performance in Spain’s 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia as just the second player in World
Cup history to score or assist three goals in the opening 25 minutes of a match. He's the first to achieve the feat since Hungary's László Fazekas in 1982.
“The impact Mikel has on the team is massive, probably bigger than any other player could have in the world,” Spain coach Luis De La Fuente said after the match. “I’m convinced that he’s a footballer that can really make history in Spanish football. His numbers are crazy, so I do celebrate his performance, and hopefully, we will be able to value him properly.”
His assist, a deep cross to 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal, helped Spain set the tone early with a goal at the 10-minute mark. Oyarzabal then followed with two goals spaced three minutes apart — in the 21st and 24th minutes — to give Spain a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
Oyarzabal finished the game with five shots — three on goal — in 45 minutes played.
In a World Cup debut that's been defined by peaks and valleys, Oyarzabal is shrugging off the highs and lows — and that includes Sunday's achievements.
“In the end, it’s an anecdote," Oyarzabal said after the match. "I don’t give any importance to it. It is what it is. I’m happy to have scored, to have helped the team. One way or another, I’m always trying to do what’s best for the team.”
The 29-year-old from Eibar may not have shown interest in record-book additions, but rewriting the reputation of the Spanish national team after Monday's performance was a top priority.
“When you don’t do things well, when things don’t go your way, you criticize yourself, you look internally to try to improve. We knew we could do much better than the other day," he said. “We were looking forward to turning it around. It was very important to start with the right foot, and that’s what happened.”
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AP Sports Writers James Robson and Tales Azzoni contributed to this report.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
