SPAIN 4-0 SAUDI ARABIA: Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice while Lamine Yamal scored his first goal at a World Cup to finally give Luis de la Fuente’s men liftoff in Group H

They’re European champions for a reason, you know? After Monday’s shock 0-0 draw with Cape Verde, a fired-up Spain had a statement to make.

If there were any concerns that this would be another painstaking affair for Luis de la Fuente’s side, they were quickly dispelled inside 24 minutes, as Saudi Arabia were put to the sword. Lamine Yamal’s first World Cup goal opened the floodgates before a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal put the game out of sight.

England fans will reluctantly recognise the Real Sociedad forward, who scored the winning goal against Gareth Southgate’s team in the final of Euro 2024. Celebrating his 65th birthday, De la Fuente made four changes to La Roja’s starting XI and he was vindicated with victory.

In a more settled-looking line-up, out came Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Gavi and Ferran Torres, and in came Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and Yamal. Square pegs for square holes.

Get the latest World Cup 2026 news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter

Yamal’s simple finish with 10 minutes on the clock won’t be going in his career goal catalogue, but it was the kind of smart run and back-post tap-in that he’ll need to master if he wants to put up prime Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo-level numbers from the wing.

It was a similar story for Oyarzabal’s brace, ghosting behind the Saudi defence on two occasions to bag a brace in the space of three minutes. With an assist to boot, it was just what the doctor ordered for Spain’s No.21, who had a frustrating night against Cape Verde. Flashing a shot across goal before half-time, Oyarzabal was hungry for this third.

Will Spain win the World Cup? Give us your prediction in the comments section.

But the 29-year-old was robbed of the chance to score an historic World Cup hat-trick by his manager. De la Fuente subbed both him and Yamal at break, clearly with an eye on Saturday’s Group H closer against Uruguay.

Yamal’s fitness remains a concern for Spain, having missed the last knockings of Barcelona’s season because of a hamstring injury. And when you’ve got such depth in attack, why not use it?

Within four minutes of the restart, it was 4-0. Marc Cucurella’s shot was initially saved by Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, only for the ball to cannon back off Hassan Al-Tambakti and into the of the net.

With three points all but secured, Spain’s substitutes were able to strut their stuff. Arsenal’s Mikel Merino threaded a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Torres, who prodded his effort wide. After a tepid last half-hour, the former Manchester City star thought that he’d finally scored in stoppage time, only for VAR to rule his goal out for offside following a lengthy review.

Saudi Arabia have no reason to be down, though, knowing that a win over Cape Verde would almost certainly send them through to the last 32. The Green Falcons have only reached the knockout stages of a World Cup once in their seven appearances, reaching the round of 16 on debut in 1998. Georgios Donis’ side will be out to make more history next weekend.

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £4.50

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.