Oyarzabal double puts Spain 3-0 up on Saudi Arabia before halftime

Spain turned possession into separation with remarkable speed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Mikel Oyarzabal was the finisher who made the gap look decisive. His quick second goal of the match arrived in the 24th minute and completed a sharp move that began wide, moved through tight space near the box, and ended with Dani Olmo setting up the Real Sociedad forward at close range.

The sequence that produced the 3-0 lead showed why Spain’s attack suddenly became overwhelming. Pedro Porro delivered the ball into the area, Marc Cucurella kept the move alive with a controlled touch, and Olmo then headed it into Oyarzabal’s path. From near the line, Oyarzabal beat Mohammed Al Owais and gave Spain the cushion that effectively put the match beyond Saudi Arabia before the interval.

That goal capped a three-minute burst from Oyarzabal, whose double changed the tone of the Group H match in Atlanta. Spain had needed a forceful response after opening the World Cup with a 0-0 draw against Cabo Verde, and this was the sort of control Luis de la Fuente’s side was built to show. The 26-man squad arrived with high expectations, and the performance against Saudi Arabia matched that billing by stretching the game early and punishing any lapse in shape.

Olmo’s role in the move carried extra weight as well. The RFEF had marked his 50th international appearance just days earlier during Spain’s opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a milestone that underlined how central he has become to de la Fuente’s plans. FIFA had also identified Oyarzabal as one of Spain’s main attacking weapons for the tournament, and the double reinforced that assessment in the most direct way possible.

By halftime, Spain had a 3-0 lead and Saudi Arabia had no clear route back into the contest. The spacing between Spain’s wide players, the composure in the final pass and the precision of Oyarzabal’s finishing combined to turn a controlled spell of play into a commanding scoreline in a matter of minutes.