Spain tore through Arabia Saudita 4-0 on Sunday, and Lamine Yamal gave the match its sharpest moment when he scored his first World Cup goal in the 10th minute. By the time the first hydration break arrived in the 23rd minute, Spain was already 3-0 up and the game had been decided.
That mattered because Spain had looked flat in its previous match, the 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde, when it struggled to unsettle a settled opponent. This time the opening minutes carried a different edge. Mikel Oyarzabal had a chance to open the scoring before the first minute was complete, and Luis de la Fuente’s side never let Arabia Saudita settle. Pedri and Dani Olmo started together for the first time under de la Fuente, with Dani Olmo replacing Fabián Ruiz in the lineup, a change that helped Spain move the ball with more speed and purpose than it had shown a week earlier.
Yamal’s role made the result feel even bigger than the scoreline. He was only 18 and was taken off at halftime, but he had already done his part. Oyarzabal went off with him, and de la Fuente later underlined how central the forward has become, pointing to his impact on the team in terms that left no doubt about the coach’s trust. Oyarzabal now has 14 goals in his last 13 international matches, along with seven assists, a run that helps explain why Spain’s attack looked so ruthless once it found a rhythm.
The contrast with Cabo Verde is hard to miss. A week earlier, Spain had lacked surprise and looked passive against a well-set opponent. On Sunday, it started aggressively and settled the outcome almost before Arabia Saudita could react. De la Fuente also got a first look at Pedri and Dani Olmo together from the opening whistle in this setup, a combination he had not used since taking charge after the World Cup of Qatar 2022. The two had shared only 50 minutes on the field under him before this match, which makes Sunday less a routine win than a sign that Spain may finally be finding the right pieces in the right places.
The next test is even more revealing. Spain faces Uruguay in Guadalajara on Friday, and the real question is whether this attacking burst was a one-off response to the last result or the start of a level Spain can carry into a harder match. If it travels, Sunday may be remembered as the day Yamal announced himself on the World Cup stage and Spain found its speed again.
