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Spain responded with authority after its initial misstep and defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 this Sunday at the , during the second matchday of Group H of the . La Roja tops the group with four points and has not conceded a single goal in the tournament.
The start of the match was a statement of intent. In the 10th minute, Lamine Yamal opened the scoring with his first goal in a World Cup, a goal that the specialized media quickly celebrated. TUDN summarized it like this: “It had to be Lamine Yamal: the Spanish gem opens the scoring.”
What followed was a whirlwind. Mikel Oyarzabal took over and scored in the 21st minute to make it 2-0. Just three minutes later, in the 24th minute, Oyarzabal completed a stunning double to bring the score to 3-0 before halftime. Saudi Arabia could only respond with a yellow card to S. Al Dawsari in the 30th minute, failing to create any real danger for the Spanish goal.
At the beginning of the second half, Spain made two simultaneous substitutions: Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal were replaced by Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres. However, the match was already decided. In the 49th minute, Saudi defender H. Tambakti sealed the score at 4-0 with an own goal. Torres had the chance to score the fifth in the 90th minute, but the VAR disallowed the goal for offside.
The statistics from the match showed a clear domination: Spain had 67% possession compared to Saudi Arabia's 33%, with 22 shots against just three from their opponent, and placed nine attempts on target versus one by the Saudis. The Spaniards did not receive any yellow cards; the Saudis accumulated two, with the second handed to M. Kanno in the 60th minute.
The context made this match especially demanding for Spain. In the first round, the Red disappointed against Cabo Verde with a 0-0 draw despite dominating with 74% possession and 25 shots without scoring. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, arrived with one point after drawing 1-1 with Uruguay on June 15 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
After the first matchday, the four teams in the were tied with one point each, making this second date crucial. The results clarify the standings: Spain leads with four points and a goal difference of +4, followed by Uruguay and Cape Verde with one point each after one game played. Saudi Arabia, with one point and a goal difference of -4 after two matches, appears to be eliminated in the current standings.
The group stage finale will take place on June 26: Spain will face Uruguay at the Akron Stadium, while Cape Verde will host Saudi Arabia at NRG Stadium in Houston, both matches at 8:00 PM Cuban time. For La Roja, a victory or a draw against Uruguay could be enough to secure the top spot in the group.
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