Better late than never! Yamal & Oyarzabal earn Spain easy win

Yamal Oyarzabal Spain GFX

Spain earned their first victory of the 2026 World Cup as they ran out 4-0 winners of Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Lamine Yamal returned to the line up and grabbed the opening goal before a brace from Mikel Oyarzabal and an own goal all- but ensured the European champions' place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare.

After the disappointment of being held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opening match of the tournament, Spain were quick out of the traps this time around, and made their early dominance count when Yamal slid in at the back post to convert Oyarzabal's drilled cross.

Oyarzabal was keen to make up for an underwhelming display last time out, and he got himself up and running from a goal-scoring perspective with two close-range finishes within the space of three minutes around the midway point of the first half. The Real Sociedad striker could have secured his hat-trick shortly after, too, but curled an outside-of-the-foot effort onto the crossbar.

Yamal and Oyarzabal were given the second half off with the points safe, but Spain still went searching for goals, and got a fourth shortly after the break when Hassan Al Tambakti deflected the ball into his own net after Marc Cucurella's volley had been saved.

Spain made further changes which slowed the tempo of the game, though they still came close to a fifth when Pedro Porro had a powerful shot saved while Ferran Torres wasted a glorious opportunity when he poked wide after being played in on goal by fellow substitute Mikel Merino.

Barcelona forward Ferran also had a stoppage-time goal overturned by VAR for offside, but it mattered little as Spain moved onto four points from their opening two Group H games.

GOAL rates Spain's players from Atlanta...

Spain v Saudi Arabia: Group H - FIFA World Cup 2026

Goalkeeper & Defence

Unai Simon (6/10):

Had one straightforward save to make but otherwise a spectator. Did sweep up well on a couple of occasions.

Pedro Porro (7/10):

Combined well with Yamal during the first half and delivered some good balls into the box. Unlucky to have a shot saved after breaking into the box after the break.

Pau Cubarsi (8/10):

Showed impressive powers of recovery to end a couple of dangerous Saudi counter-attacks. Composed in possession to start attacks from deep.

Aymeric Laporte (8/10):

Stepped out of defence to play some key, line-breaking passes into the attacking players. Provided the headed assist for Oyarzabal's first goal.

Marc Cucurella (7/10):

Went both inside and outside Baena to create constant overloads on the left. Back-post header helped set up Spain's third before his vicious volley led to the fourth.

Spain v Saudi Arabia: Group H - FIFA World Cup 2026

Midfield

Rodri (7/10):

Kept Spain ticking over in midfield while playing a couple of key forward passes. Quiet class.

Pedri (6/10):

Showed glimpses of his quality but gave the ball away more often than he would have liked, while his shooting was wayward.

Dani Olmo (8/10):

Drove forward from the No.10 position well and played some smart passes around the edge of the penalty area. Clever header set up Oyarzabal to score Spain's third.

Spain v Saudi Arabia: Group H - FIFA World Cup 2026

Attack

Lamine Yamal (8/10):

Posed a threat every time he picked up the ball, and though his radar was off at times, he still produced plenty of moments of magic when running at defenders. Showed good endeavour to open the scoring before being given the second half off.

Mikel Oyarzabal (9/10):

Answered his critics in style by creating the opening goal before showcasing his goal-scoring instincts with two close-range finishes. Almost grabbed his hat-trick before being replaced at half-time.

Alex Baena (7/10):

Produced some good balls from the left-hand side while showcasing his ability to go both ways in one-on-one situations. A solid hour before being replaced by Williams.

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Subs & Manager

Yeremy Pino (5/10):

Struggled to produce much of note after replacing Yamal at half-time.

Ferran Torres (4/10):

Got into some good positions but wasted one or two excellent chances before having a stoppage-time tap-in ruled out for offside

Mikel Merino (6/10):

Excellent through-ball should have been rewarded by Ferran but was wasted.

Nico Williams (6/10):

Had a couple of bright moments in his 30-minute cameo.

Fabian Ruiz (6/10):

Kept things moving in midfield for the final 20 minutes.

Luis de la Fuente (7/10):

Obviously having Yamal back available to start was more than helpful, but the other changes he made from the Cape Verde draw all worked, with Olmo a much more natural No.10. Was able to give his star men time off in the second half, too. Enjoyable birthday for La Roja's boss.