Match Report: Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia - Yamal starts, Oyarzabal ends the panic

Spain needed one clean answer after the Cape Verde draw. It got four, and it got them early enough to turn the second half into managed minutes.

Scoreline

Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 at Atlanta Stadium on Sunday, June 21, kicking off at 12:00 p.m. local / 12:00 p.m. ET / 9:00 a.m. PT. Lamine Yamal opened in the 10th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal struck in the 21st and 24th, and Hassan Altambakti's 49th-minute own goal finished it. 1

Lamine Yamal celebrates Spain's opener — Yamal's first World Cup start turned into Spain's reset button. 1

Timeline

10' — Yamal slid in at the far post from Oyarzabal's low cross. 2
21' and 24' — Oyarzabal turned pressure into two close-range finishes before the first hydration break. 1
49' — Altambakti deflected in after Mohammed Alowais saved Marc Cucurella's volley. Ferran Torres later had a fifth ruled out by VAR. 3

Stats that tell it

Stat	Spain	Saudi Arabia
Possession	63%	29%
Shots / on target	22 / 8	3 / 2
Completed passes	688	309

Saudi Arabia chased, Spain camped in the final third, and Oyarzabal was named Player of the Match. 4

Mikel Oyarzabal holds the Player of the Match award — Two goals and an assist made Oyarzabal the match's blunt instrument. 1

Verdict

Spain are not fixed forever, but they are awake. A point against Uruguay is enough to reach the Round of 32; Saudi Arabia now need a response against Cape Verde. 1

Quote of the Day: "I watched the last World Cup from a classroom, so being able to score here with my mum and my family in the stands is a dream." — Lamine Yamal 1