"La Roja" Spain crushed Saudi Arabia in their second group-stage match at the 2026 North American World Cup, securing their first victory of the tournament.
Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 in the Group H second match of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, held at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia, the United States, on Sunday (Korea time). With one win and one draw (four points), Spain moved to the top of the group, while Saudi Arabia remained fourth with one draw and one loss (one point).
In their group-stage opener, Spain had wounded its pride by drawing 0-0 against tournament debutant Cape Verde, despite firing 27 shots to Cape Verde's six. On this day, however, 18-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal seized the initiative by scoring his World Cup debut goal just 10 minutes into the first half. Yamal sliding in at the far post to finish off a low cross delivered by Mikel Oyarzabal, opening the scoring.
Oyarzabal added a goal of his own 11 minutes later. From a corner kick, the ball was not properly cleared by the opposing defense, and Aymeric Laporte headed it down for Oyarzabal to push in and find the net. Just three minutes later, Oyarzabal added another to complete his brace. Oyarzabal was involved in all three first-half goals, putting in a standout performance.
Having finished the first half 3-0, Spain extended the gap to 4-0 just four minutes into the second half, sealing the match. Cucurella's volley was blocked by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, but the rebound deflected off Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tambakti's body and into the net for an own goal. Spain dominated Saudi Arabia 22-3 in shots, including eight on target to Saudi Arabia's one.
