Lamine Yamal marked his return to the Spain starting lineup with a goal as Spain defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H clash in Atlanta. The convincing victory helped the European champions recover from their disappointing opening draw against Cape Verde and move to the top of the group standings.
The 18 year old forward, making his first start in two months after recovering from a hamstring injury, made an immediate impact. Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, arriving at the back post to finish a low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal.
Spain continued to dominate and gave Saudi Arabia little chance to recover. Oyarzabal then took center stage by scoring two goals in just three minutes, putting La Roja firmly in control with a 3-0 lead after only 24 minutes of play.
The Spanish attack remained dangerous after the break. Their fourth goal arrived in the 49th minute when Marc Cucurella’s shot was saved by Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais, but the rebound deflected off defender Hassan Al Tambakti and into the net.
The comprehensive win leaves Spain on four points from two matches and puts them in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stage. More importantly, the performance showed that Spain’s attack has rediscovered its rhythm after failing to score in the opening game against Cape Verde.
Yamal’s return added creativity, pace and confidence to the Spanish frontline. His goal and overall display highlighted why he is regarded as one of football’s brightest young talents.
Elsewhere in Group H, Cape Verde and Uruguay were set to battle for crucial points, while other World Cup fixtures saw Germany secure a place in the knockout stage, the Netherlands crush Sweden 5-1, and Japan defeat Tunisia 4-0.
For Spain, however, the biggest positive was the return of Lamine Yamal, whose brilliant performance inspired a dominant victory and reignited their ambitions of lifting another World Cup title.
