Spain impressively dealt with Saudi Arabia. After a disappointing start to the World Cup, Luis de la Fuente’s side found their rhythm, especially in the first half, inspired by standout performances from Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Spain rediscover their rhythm with a ruthless response against Saudi Arabia
Spain needed a reaction, and this was exactly the kind of response Luis de la Fuente would have wanted after a frustrating start to the World Cup. The opening draw against Cape Verde had left a strange feeling around La Roja. It was not a disaster in terms of the table, but it was the sort of flat, uncomfortable result that immediately creates questions around a team carrying major expectations. Against Saudi Arabia, Spain answered those questions with authority, control and, above all, efficiency in the final third.
The difference was visible almost from the first whistle. Spain played with more tempo, more width and more clarity than they had shown in their first match. There was less sterile possession and far more purpose in the way they attacked the spaces around the Saudi defensive line. The ball moved quicker, the runs were sharper, and the players who had been expected to give this team an extra creative spark finally imposed themselves on the game.
One of the clearest examples was Mikel Oyarzabal. Against Cape Verde, the Real Sociedad forward had endured a deeply frustrating afternoon. He struggled to get involved, looked isolated for long periods and, remarkably, did not register a single touch of the ball in the opening 30 minutes. For a striker in a Spain side that usually dominates possession, that said everything about how disconnected the attack had been. This time, however, the story was completely different.
Oyarzabal looked far more alive, far more connected with the players around him and far more dangerous inside the penalty area. His movement was intelligent rather than spectacular, but that is often what makes him such a useful forward. He does not need to be involved in every passing sequence to influence a match. What Spain needed from him was presence, timing and calmness in front of goal, and he provided all of that before the first cooling break had even arrived.
After Lamine Yamal had already given Spain the early breakthrough, Oyarzabal took over the scoring responsibility. His first goal came from exactly the kind of position where a striker has to be alert. He reacted quicker than the Saudi defenders, found the right pocket of space and finished from close range without hesitation. There was nothing overly elaborate about it, but that was precisely the point. Spain had lacked that direct penalty-box instinct in their first match, and Oyarzabal gave them the cutting edge they had been missing.
His second goal followed a similar pattern. Again, the Real Sociedad forward was in the right place at the right time, again he showed sharp reactions, and again Saudi Arabia were punished for failing to deal with Spain movement around the six-yard box. By the time he had made it 3-0, the match already felt beyond Saudi Arabia. Spain were not simply controlling possession; they were turning that control into damage on the scoreboard.
That ruthlessness mattered. Spain are often praised for their technical quality, their midfield structure and their ability to dominate the ball, but tournament football also demands a different kind of authority. It is not enough to look elegant between both boxes. A team with serious ambitions has to turn superiority into goals, and against Saudi Arabia, Spain finally did that. The result gave the performance a completely different weight from the one against Cape Verde.
Lamine Yamal was another major reason for that shift. De la Fuente had decided to make changes after the disappointing opener, and the young winger was one of the most important names brought into the starting side. His inclusion immediately changed the energy of the Spanish attack. He offered width, unpredictability and confidence in one-on-one situations, but he also showed the composure to arrive at the far post and finish when the chance came.
His early goal did more than put Spain ahead. It changed the emotional tone of the match. Instead of allowing Saudi Arabia to grow in belief, Spain immediately forced them into a game they did not want to play. The Saudis could no longer sit deep with comfort, break the rhythm and hope to frustrate La Roja in the same way Cape Verde had done. Once Spain had the lead, the spaces began to appear, and with Yamal and Oyarzabal in that mood, those spaces became dangerous very quickly.
De la Fuente also deserves credit for the way he managed the match. With Spain already in a commanding position at half-time, he chose not to take unnecessary risks with his standout performers. Both Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal were withdrawn at the break, a clear sign that the coach was already thinking beyond this match. In a long tournament, especially in the group stage, protecting key players can be just as important as chasing a heavier scoreline.
What will have pleased the Spain coach even more is that the pattern of the match barely changed after those substitutions. Spain did not collapse in intensity, nor did they allow Saudi Arabia to build momentum. Less than three minutes after the restart, the fourth goal arrived, underlining just how much control La Roja had over the contest.
Marc Cucurella, recently signed by Real Madrid, found himself completely unmarked at the far post and looked ready to add his name to the scoresheet. The move once again exposed Saudi Arabia defensive problems on the opposite side of the box, where Spain repeatedly found space and time. In the end, however, the final touch came from Hassan Al Tambakti, turning the ball into his own net and making it 4-0.
It was an unfortunate moment for the Saudi defender, but it also reflected the pressure Spain had created throughout the match. Own goals often look like isolated errors, yet they usually come from sustained pressure, dangerous delivery and defenders being forced to react under difficult conditions. Spain had stretched Saudi Arabia repeatedly, and eventually that pressure produced another goal, even if not from the player who seemed certain to score.
The own goal also added to one of the curious statistical trends of this World Cup. It was already the 8th own goal of the tournament, moving the competition closer to the record of 12 set in 2018. For Spain, the detail will not matter too much. What mattered was that the fourth goal killed off any remaining doubt and allowed the team to manage the rest of the afternoon with authority.
From that point, Spain understandably lowered the rhythm. There was no need to force the issue, no need to expose themselves unnecessarily and no need to turn the match into an end-to-end contest. They kept the ball, controlled the spaces and made Saudi Arabia chase without ever offering them a realistic route back into the game. It was professional rather than spectacular after the fourth goal, but that in itself was important.
Saudi Arabia, for their part, never found a convincing response. They were outplayed technically, but also struggled physically and tactically to cope with Spain speed of circulation. Their defensive shape was often pulled apart by movement between the lines and quick switches of play, while their attacking play lacked the precision needed to trouble Spain for any sustained period. Once they fell behind early, they looked increasingly short of answers.
There was almost a late fifth for Spain when substitute Ferran Torres thought he had added another goal in stoppage time. The forward made a sharp run and finished the move, but the goal was ruled out for offside. It did not change the final impression. Spain had already done more than enough, and the cancelled goal only reinforced how comfortable they remained until the very end.
For De la Fuente, the most encouraging aspect will not only be the 4-0 scoreline, but the response after criticism. Spain looked sharper, more aggressive and more balanced than they had in their opening match. The changes worked, the attack functioned far better, and the team avoided the kind of anxiety that can build quickly during a major tournament when early results do not match expectations.
The win leaves Spain on 4 points after 2 matches and, at least temporarily, on top of Group H. Cape Verde and Uruguay still had to face each other later in the day, which means the final shape of the group remained open, but Spain have placed themselves in a much stronger position than they were in after the first round of fixtures. The pressure has not disappeared completely, but it has been transformed into momentum.
The final group match against Uruguay now promises to be a major test. Spain will play Uruguay in the night of 26 June into 27 June at 02:00, while Saudi Arabia face Cape Verde at the same time. For La Roja, that match will offer a clearer measure of their tournament credentials. Beating Saudi Arabia so comfortably was necessary and impressive, but Uruguay should provide a very different level of physicality, competitiveness and tactical resistance.
Still, this was the performance Spain needed. After a quiet and disappointing start, they rediscovered their attacking fluency, gave confidence back to their key players and reminded the rest of the tournament why they arrived with such high expectations. Lamine Yamal brought electricity, Oyarzabal brought the finishing touch, and Spain as a collective brought the authority that had been missing against Cape Verde.
One match does not settle a World Cup campaign, but it can change the feeling around a team. For Spain, this 4-0 victory did exactly that. It turned doubt into belief, frustration into rhythm and pressure into a statement. Saudi Arabia were simply unable to live with them, and La Roja now move into their final group match with the sense that their tournament has finally begun.
