Spain needed a response after their frustrating opening draw, and they delivered one emphatically, a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H in Atlanta, with Lamine Yamal back in the starting lineup and immediately reminding everyone what this Spain side actually looks like when it’s firing.
The draw against Cape Verde had raised real questions. Spain had dominated possession and gone nowhere with it, which is about the most frustrating way to drop two points in a group opener. Against Saudi Arabia, the answer came quickly and decisively.
Yamal set the tone in the 10th minute, cutting through the Saudi defence with the kind of directness that was completely absent in the first match. That early goal changed everything; the nervousness dissolved, the ball started moving faster, and Spain suddenly looked like the side people expected before the tournament started.
Mikel Oyarzabal then took the game away from Saudi Arabia before halftime, scoring twice to put Spain in complete command. He’d been quiet against Cape Verde, but this was a very different performance, sharp movement, good timing, clinical finishing. The kind of display from a forward who had something to prove. By the break, it was 3-0, and the match was essentially over.
The fourth came early in the second half when Saudi defender Hassan Altambakti turned the ball into his own net, ending any lingering thought of a comeback. From that point, Spain managed the game comfortably, and De la Fuente pulled both Yamal and Oyarzabal at halftime, a clear sign he knew the job was done and wanted his key players fresh for what’s coming.
Spain Finally Looks Like Contenders Again
The scoreline matters, but what matters more is how Spain actually played. Against Cape Verde, they were patient and blunt. Against Saudi Arabia, they were sharp, direct, and aggressive in the final third in a genuinely different way. The ball moved with purpose. Wide players attacked space. The midfield connected with the front line in a way it simply hadn’t in the opener.
This is the Spain that looks dangerous. Possession without penetration just gives opponents something to defend. Spain knows that, and this performance showed they’ve recalibrated quickly.
Yamal was central to that shift. The 18-year-old brought unpredictability and confidence that stretched Saudi Arabia’s defence and created panic in wide areas. His goal will be the headline, but his presence across the whole performance was the real story. Saudi defenders were constantly reacting to him rather than dictating anything themselves. Spain looks like a different team when he’s on the pitch and playing like this.
De la Fuente also gets credit here. The move toward more vertical attacking football worked cleanly, and the result puts Spain on four points from two games heading into their final group match against Uruguay. The pressure of that Cape Verde draw hasn’t disappeared entirely, but it’s been managed effectively.
For Saudi Arabia, it was a difficult night from early on. They’d arrived on one point after drawing with Uruguay, but Spain’s pressing and early goal made things uncomfortable almost immediately. Once Yamal struck, Saudi Arabia never looked like it would recover. Their defensive shape was repeatedly pulled apart, and their attack barely produced anything sustained at the other end.
They’re not out yet, but their final group game against Cape Verde is now a must-win situation with the added pressure of needing results elsewhere to go their way. The margin for error is gone.
Spain repaired the damage from their opening frustration, and then some. The Cape Verde draw had cast real doubt over whether this Spain side could actually break teams down when it mattered. For more on that earlier shock, see our coverage of Cape Verde’s historic draw against Spain.
This performance changes the narrative. Spain isn’t perfect, tougher tests are coming, and some questions remain, but 4-0 against a side that isn’t a pushover is a convincing answer to the doubters. Yamal provided electricity. Oyarzabal provided goals. The midfield provided control. The defence provided calm.
These are the matches that shift the momentum of a World Cup campaign. A nervous favourite responds, a young star stamps his authority on the tournament, and a group that felt uncomfortable suddenly feels very manageable. Spain needed that statement in Atlanta.
They made it. And with Yamal back and playing like this, they look considerably more dangerous than they did a few days ago.
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