Lamine Yamal Makes World Cup History As Spain Crush Saudi Arabia

According to IReporter Online, Spain revived their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia, a match highlighted by another record-breaking moment from teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, who etched his name into history as Spain’s second-youngest World Cup goalscorer.

Yamal, aged 18, opened the scoring in Atlanta after just 10 minutes, calmly finishing at the far post from a precise assist by Mikel Oyarzabal to give Spain an early advantage. The strike placed him among Spain’s youngest-ever World Cup scorers at 18 years and 343 days, second only to Gavi, who scored at 18 years and 110 days during the 7-0 win over Costa Rica at the 2022 World Cup.

Following a disappointing opening draw against Cape Verde, Spain asserted dominance from the outset and doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Saudi Arabia failed to clear a corner, allowing Oyarzabal to pounce inside the box and score. The forward struck again three minutes later, finishing clinically from close range after connecting with a flick-on from Dani Olmo to make it 3-0 before the half-hour mark.

Saudi Arabia’s woes worsened early in the second half when a powerful attempt from Marc Cucurella was parried by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, only for the rebound to deflect off Hassan Al Tambakti into his own net in the 49th minute. Spain continued to press relentlessly, with substitute Ferran Torres briefly thinking he had added a fifth late on, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review confirmed offside.

The Saudi side also struggled discipline-wise, with Salem Al Dawsari and Mohamed Kanno both receiving yellow cards amid growing frustration as Spain maintained control throughout. The emphatic win extends Spain’s unbeaten run to 12 matches and strengthens their position in the group, while Saudi Arabia now face a must-win scenario against Cape Verde to keep their qualification hopes alive.