FIFA World Cup 2026 | Group H, Match 38 | Sunday, 21 June 2026 Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia | Referee: TBC
A week ago, Spain drew 0-0 with Cape Verde and Lamine Yamal came off the bench with 20 minutes left. One of the great supposed mismatches of the group stage had ended with Vozinha making seven saves and the whole world talking about the goalkeeper nobody had heard of.
Sunday in Atlanta was the response. Three goals in 14 minutes. Four before half-time. Spain at their absolute best — quick passing, sharp movement, unstoppable attacking football — and a 17-year-old scoring his first World Cup goal on his first World Cup start.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia. Group H flipped. La Roja at the top. The 0-0 against Cape Verde is officially a footnote.
Yamal was involved from the very first second. A corner in the third minute — his delivery. A shot in the fourth minute. A cross in the second that Al Amri had to head behind. He was everywhere immediately, and the difference from his cameo against Cape Verde was night and day. This was the player who finished the Champions League season as the best in the world, starting and driving the game from the opening whistle.
The first goal came in the 10th minute. Oyarzabal — the player who took so much criticism after the Cape Verde draw, who was anonymous for large stretches of that game — played the through ball perfectly. Yamal arrived on the right side of the box at a tight angle and poked it in. His first World Cup goal. Spain had already completed 39 passes before it went in. No team at this tournament had done that before scoring.
Then Oyarzabal. In the 21st minute he was in the right place to convert. Two and a half minutes later he did it again. Three-nil before the half-hour mark. Spain became the first country since Germany in 2014 to score three goals inside the first 25 minutes of a World Cup match. Saudi Arabia had no answer. Their goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais made saves — several of them good — but there was simply too much to deal with.
De la Fuente took Yamal and Oyarzabal off at half-time. Both had done their jobs. Three-nil and the game settled. He used the second half to manage fitness and give minutes to the wider squad. Pedro Porro had a shot on goal in the 53rd minute. Nico Williams came on in the 61st. Fabian Ruiz replaced Pedri at 71′. Spain were cruising.
The fourth goal was another own goal. Hassan Al-Tambakti, trying to deal with a Marc Cucurella shot that had deflected from a corner in the 49th minute, turned it into his own net. Eight own goals at this World Cup already — the most of any tournament in history bar 2018, and the group stage barely halfway through.
Ferran Torres thought he had a fifth in added time, turning home Fabian Ruiz’s cross. VAR ruled it out for offside after a lengthy review. It stayed at four. It did not need to be five. The point had been made a long time before that.
Al Owais deserves credit for keeping the score at four rather than seven. He produced two important saves in the second half when Spain — even with rotated personnel — kept creating. Saudi Arabia finished with only three attempts on goal all match. Spain had twenty-two. The gap in quality was total.
The context of what Spain produced here goes beyond the scoreline. The 0-0 against Cape Verde had been framed as a crisis of confidence, a tactical failure, evidence of internal divisions that had been whispered about for weeks. Sunday silenced all of it. Whatever doubts existed after matchday one, none of them survived the first 25 minutes in Atlanta.
De la Fuente said after the match that he had urged caution about drawing comparisons between Yamal and Messi. “He is Lamine Yamal,” he said. “He doesn’t need to be compared to anyone.” The Barça forward, who turned 17 last year, scored his first World Cup goal two weeks before his 18th birthday. The records are coming at him from every direction.
Spain move to four points at the top of Group H. Uruguay and Cape Verde play later on Sunday — whatever that result is, Spain’s position at the summit of the group is secure heading into the final matchday.
For live World Cup scores from every group, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full results, standings and knockout bracket at the official FIFA World Cup website.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia FIFA World Cup 2026, Group H, Match 38 | Sunday, 21 June 2026 Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Goals: Lamine Yamal 10′ (assist: Oyarzabal), Mikel Oyarzabal 21′, Mikel Oyarzabal 24′, Hassan Al-Tambakti 49′ OG
Yellow Cards: Saud Aldawsari 30′ (Saudi Arabia, serious foul play) | Mohammed Kanno 60′ (Saudi Arabia, serious foul play)
Spain (4-3-3): Raya; Porro, Le Normand, Vivian, Cucurella; Pedri (Fabian Ruiz 71′), Rodri, Baena (N. Williams 61′); Yamal (Ferran Torres HT), Oyarzabal (Dani Olmo HT), Morata (Joselu HT)
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais; Al Amri, Al-Tambakti, Lajami, Aljuwayr; Kanno (for Alkhaibari HT), Aldawsari S., Aldawsari N. (Alghannam 90′); Alamri (Alhajji 61′), Albrikan (Abu Alshamat 61′); others
Stats: Possession Spain 63% — Saudi Arabia 29% (9% contested) | Attempts 22-3 | Shots on Target 8-2 | Half-time: 3-0
Group H standings: Spain 4 pts | Cape Verde 1 pt | Uruguay 1 pt | Saudi Arabia 0 pts
