Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 for first World Cup 2026 victory: Lamine Yamal shines as La Roja dominate second group game

Lamine Yamal scored just 10 minutes into his first World Cup start as Spain secured their first win of the tournament with a comfortable victory over Saudi Arabia.

The Barcelona teenager had come on as a substitute in Spain’s opening Group H match against Cape Verde, but he could not help his team break the deadlock in a disappointing goalless draw. Given the chance to start, the 18-year-old quickly showed why he is considered one of football’s brightest young talents.

Yamal opened the scoring after Mikel Oyarzabal’s low cross found him at the far post, making him only the second player aged 18 or younger — after Pelé in 1958 — to score the first goal in a World Cup match.

Spain continued to dominate and doubled their lead through Oyarzabal, who calmly finished past goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais after Saudi Arabia failed to clear a corner. The Real Sociedad forward struck again just three minutes later, completing a quick move started by Dani Olmo’s flick-on.

Oyarzabal nearly completed his hat-trick before halftime, hitting the crossbar after intercepting a loose pass from Al-Owais.

Both Yamal and Oyarzabal were substituted at halftime, but Spain’s control continued after the break. Marc Cucurella’s powerful effort was saved by Al-Owais before the ball deflected off Hassan Al Tambakti and went into the net for Spain’s fourth goal.

Spain slowed the tempo afterward but remained dangerous, with Ferran Torres coming close to adding another. Saudi Arabia managed only one shot on target, while Torres later had a goal ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

The win gives Spain a strong boost in Group H, while Saudi Arabia face a difficult challenge to keep their tournament hopes alive...

Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0, Match Stats, Facts, Records

Date: Sunday, June 21, 2026

🌟 Lamine Yamal's Historic Night

Eighth-Youngest Ever: By scoring the opening goal, Lamine Yamal (aged 18 years, 343 days) officially became the eighth-youngest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history.

La Roja's Second-Youngest: He is now the second-youngest player ever to score a World Cup goal for Spain. He trails only his Barcelona teammate Gavi, who scored against Costa Rica in 2022 at 18 years and 110 days.

Attacking Suffocation: Spain completely choked out Saudi Arabia’s defense, firing 21 total shots with 9 hitting the target. The Green Falcons managed just 3 shots all game with only 1 forcing a routine save from Unai Simón.

Passing Efficiency: Living up to their reputation, La Roja logged 65% possession and pulled off 594 accurate passes out of 639 attempts, finishing with a hyper-efficient 92% passing accuracy.

Spain vs Saudi Arabia Head-to-Head Record

Spain have dominated previous meetings between the two nations and remain unbeaten against Saudi Arabia.

Date	Competition	Result
September 7, 2012	International Friendly	Spain 5-0 Saudi Arabia
May 29, 2010	International Friendly	Spain 3-2 Saudi Arabia
June 23, 2006	FIFA World Cup	Saudi Arabia 0-1 Spain