5 hours ago
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Luis de la Fuente said he wanted a new jumper for his birthday but this was even better. On the day the Spain coach turned 65, his players gifted him the perfect afternoon in Atlanta, the doubts from their opener blown away. Unable to find a way through in 97 minutes here against Cape Verde, this time they had celebrated putting three goals past Saudi Arabia before the first drinks break. Life is there to be enjoyed, Lamine Yamal had said, so they did. By the end it was four and it couldn’t have worked out any nicer.
This was exactly the way the coach would have wished it. Lamine Yamal scoring 10 minutes into his first start since suffering a hamstring injury in April. Mikel Oyarzabal adding two more in the first “quarter”, Marc Cucurella forcing the fourth on 49, victory secured so early that De la Fuente could withdraw those players who needed protecting and give minutes to those that needed them, Mikel Merino and Nico Williams invited to join the party too. Unai Simón was the last to arrive, not making a significant save until the 80th minute.
There were changes in personnel and structure from that first, disappointing day, but above all in personality: intense and aggressive, Spain were Spain again. “The ball ran,” De la Fuente said.
The new starters, Pedro Porro, Álex Baena and Dani Olmo, all made an impact; so too did the man for whom they had all been waiting. Lamine Yamal, the 18‑year‑old the Spain coach likened to Salvador Dalí and Michelangelo, was never going to get 90 minutes but nor did he need to: 45 were enough, job done and the winger withdrawn to fight another day.
This had begun at his feet. They had been playing only 41 seconds when Lamine Yamal’s Cruyff turn enabled him to escape Salem al‑Dawsari. That was the first of three key moments from the teenager inside four minutes, the expectation rising with every touch, intent in all of them. His presence changes everything, especially the mood. He got on the ball more than anyone in the first five minutes and had scored the opening goal inside 10.
There is something contagious about Lamine Yamal and he certainly wasn’t alone. With him drawing everyone in, Spain cut through Saudi Arabia even more on the other wing, which was where the opener came from. Baena’s neat pass with the outside of the boot set Oyarzabal free to deliver all the way across the six yard box. Lamine Yamal slid in at the far post to score. Skidding to his knees, released, he put his head on the turf and prayed. Only one player had ever scored a World Cup opener younger and that was Pelé.
The pass from Oyarzabal was impeccable and just the start. The striker, who had not had a touch in the first half an hour against Cape Verde, got an assist and two goals within 23 minutes here. The first of the two strikes came when Saudi Arabia made a mess of a corner and Aymeric Laporte leapt to provide clarity in the chaos, nodding down for him to finish for 2-0.
The next arrived just two minutes later and showcased Spain’s ambition with how high the full-backs were. Porro’s curling cross found Cucurella, who side‑footed back and, as if playing headers and volleys, Olmo headed on for Oyarzabal to score, all without letting the ball bounce: 3-0 and the favourites were healing.
Oyarzabal might have scored a third as well, a gorgeous shot with the outside of his foot coming back off the bar with Mohammed al-Owais out of his goal. No one talks about Oyarzabal, especially not Oyarzabal, but they should: that’s 14 goals and seven assists in his past 13 Spain games.
Still Spain came. De la Fuente admitted they had been “stung” by the reaction to the 0-0 draw with Cape Verde: provoked by the criticism, there was a point to prove and this was some way to prove it. With Pedri facing the game; Olmo finding spaces where appear to be none; and Rodri controlling, completing 113 passes, while Pau Cubarsí clocked up 98 of 99 attempts, the dominance was total. Spain’s possession, more than 70%, came with a purpose too.
“We want to say ‘here we are’,” Laporte insisted, and they were everywhere. Lamine Yamal even sprinted 60 yards to break up a rare Saudi attack, led by al-Dawsari just before half-time. Tired now, it was his last service here; it won’t be his last at the tournament which is even more important. Oyarzabal departed too at half-time, his work done, but Spain did not stop. From another badly defended corner Cucurella volleyed in the fourth, off Hassan Tambakti.
The changes came, Pedri and Baena following Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal off. Merino and Williams came on to take another step towards rehabilitation as the game drifted towards the end. Although a brilliant ball from Williams almost saw Yéremi Pino score and Ferran Torres had a fifth taken away by the video assistant referee, De la Fuente had everything he could have wished for already. Happy birthday, boss.
