Spain thrash Saudi Arabia 4-0 behind Yamal and Oyarzabal braces

Spain turned a Group H match in Atlanta into a one-sided statement, beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 at Atlanta Stadium and finishing the game before halftime. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal added two goals and an assist, and Hassan Al Tambakti’s own goal sealed the margin.

For Spain, the victory was more than a comfortable afternoon. It was the first win of the 2026 World Cup after an opening 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde, and it moved the European title holders into provisional control of Group H. In a tournament expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches, that kind of early command matters: it gives Luis de la Fuente’s side room to manage the group stage while keeping the pressure on their rivals.

The most encouraging sign for Spain was not just the scoreline, but the shape of the attack. Oyarzabal created the opener and then finished twice himself, showing that Spain do not need one isolated path to goal. Yamal, only 18, needed just 10 minutes to record his first World Cup goal in his first start at the tournament, a milestone that underscored how much threat Spain can now generate from the next wave of talent. When one young star starts the scoring and another attacker controls the final third, Spain look far less dependent on grind-it-out football than in previous campaigns.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, were overwhelmed by the pace and precision of Spain’s combinations. The match was effectively settled before the break, and the own goal from Al Tambakti only confirmed how much territory Spain had taken. Before kickoff, the Spanish federation had noted that the teams had met three times previously, in the 2006 World Cup and twice in friendlies, with Spain winning all three. That history offered a reminder of the gap, and this latest result widened it again.

The bigger question now is whether Spain have just punished weaker opposition or shown the backbone of a serious title run. For one night in Atlanta, the answer leaned toward promise: a dangerous teenager, a reliable finisher in Oyarzabal, and enough attacking variety to make Spain look like a team with several ways to win.