Lamine Yamal scores first World Cup goal as Spain thrash Saudi Arabia
Key takeaways
- Yamal makes a goal-scoring return for Spain as European champions get their World Cup campaign back on track.
- An own goal shortly after the interval failed to reopen the floodgates, as Spain used the opportunity to make changes and rest their scorers.
- De la Fuente celebrated his 65th birthday in style, and Yamal, whose only football in the last two months came as a substitute against Cape Verde, sparked life into the team that returned to Atlanta Stadium.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Yamal makes a goal-scoring return for Spain as European champions get their World Cup campaign back on track.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Lamine Yamal scores maiden World Cup goal against Saudi Arabia [Claudia Greco/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters Published On 21 Jun 202621 Jun 2026Inspired by Lamine Yamal, Spain strolled to a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H, as Mikel Oyarzabal restored his reputation with two goals and Luis de la Fuente’s side found their groove after an underwhelming World Cup opener.
Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute on Sunday and Oyarzabal, who failed to register a touch in the opening half hour in Monday’s scoreless draw with Cape Verde, scored twice in quick succession as Spain had the game wrapped up by half-time.