Rampant Spain brush Saudi Arabia aside
by Kickoff Reporter · KickOffSpain thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 to secure their first win at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Group H on Sunday evening
Fixture: Spain v Saudi Arabia
Score: 4-0
Goalscorers: Yamal (10'), Oyarzabal (21', 24'), Tambakti (OG 49')
Both teams came in the match chasing their first victory, with La Roja particularly held to a frustrating goalless draw against debutants Cape Verde before the Saudis drew in their opener at the hands of the two-time champions Uruguay.
Lamine Yamal, who was a second half substitute against the Blue Sharks, marked his first start in the tournament in style ten minutes in when he positioned perfectly at the back-post to slide in a cross from the left by Mikel Oyarzabal.
Oyarzabal decided to go on himself ten minutes later and showed a level of predatory instincts to bundle in a loose ball at the near post as the Saudi Arabian defence battled to deal with a delivery into the area.
The Real Sociedad ace continued to add to Saudi's woes two minutes later and completed his brace with another first-time finish at the back-post of the six-yard area following a cross-field delivery by Dani Olmo.
Spain were in free-flow ten minutes to halftime but Oyarzabal was denied a first half hat-trick when he came short to the far side of the attacking-third and rattled the top of the crossbar following a teasing shot from the narrowest of angles.
Second Half:
La Roja came out in the second half having complete control and still decided to add a fresh set of legs which had the exciting Yamal sacrificed for Yeremi Pino before the two-goal hero Oyarzabal vacated for Ferran Torres.
The alterations didn’t affect Spain's approach as they bagged a fourth goal in the opening five minutes of the second half when Hassan Altambakti directed a half-volley by Marc Cucurella into the back of his own net.
Spain still worked out more chances later on when a perfectly placed through ball by Pau Cubarsi released Pedro Porro, but the Tottenham Hotspur defender couldn’t make it count and disappointingly snapped his lines.
The Green Falcons’ first sight to goal and engineering a bit of fight back came later on after Abdullah Al Hamddan cut-in outside the box to fire into the near corner, but goalkeeper Unai Simon got down to draw a save.
Torres netted too shortly into added time with a simple tap-in following a cutback, but after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) introspection, the goal was disallowed for offside though it didn’t matter as La Roja bagged a resounding victory to get their tournament off the mark in Group H.