Lamine Yamal stars on first World Cup start as Spain thrash Saudi Arabia

Lamine Yamal scored 10 minutes into his first World Cup start as Spain thrashed Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta, registering their first win of the tournament on the day coach Luis de la Fuente turned 65. The 18-year-old, making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury in April, opened the scoring after a neat pass from Álex Baena set Mikel Oyarzabal free to deliver across the six-yard box. “The ball ran,” De la Fuente said. Yamal’s presence changed everything, drawing defenders and creating space for Oyarzabal, who added two more in the first quarter. Marc Cucurella forced the fourth on 49 minutes, securing victory so early that De la Fuente could withdraw players needing protection and give minutes to Mikel Merino and Nico Williams. Unai Simón did not make a significant save until the 80th minute. Unable to find a way through in 97 minutes against Cape Verde in their opener, Spain this time had three goals before the first drinks break. “Life is there to be enjoyed,” Yamal had said, and they did. De la Fuente, who had said he wanted a new jumper for his birthday, got something better – a performance that blew away the doubts from their opening draw. Pedro Porro, Baena and Dani Olmo all made an impact as Spain cut through Saudi Arabia with intensity and aggression. Yamal, likened by his coach to Salvador Dalí and Michelangelo, was withdrawn at half-time, his job done after 45 minutes. The win puts Spain back on track in Group H.