Spain reignited their World Cup campaign with a devastating 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, surging to the top of Group H and dispelling the doubts sown by a frustrating draw with Cape Verde just days earlier. The win was effectively sealed inside a breathless opening half-hour, as Lamine Yamal opened his tournament account and Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice in three minutes to leave the Green Falcons reeling before the hydration break.

Yamal, making his first start of the finals after recovering from a hamstring injury, needed only ten minutes to make his mark. Arriving unmarked at the far post, the 18-year-old Barcelona winger slid in to convert a low cross from Oyarzabal, who had been released down the left by Álex Baena. Spain’s dominance was already clear—they had threatened from set-pieces and forced early saves—but the goal unshackled them. On 21 minutes, Oyarzabal pounced on a loose ball after a corner to double the lead with a sharp near-post finish, and barely 120 seconds later he completed his brace, meeting Dani Olmo’s headed flick from Marc Cucurella’s hooked cross to steer home the third.

The rout continued shortly after the interval. Three minutes into the second half, Cucurella’s volley from another corner was parried by goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, only for the ball to ricochet off defender Hassan Al-Tambakti and trickle over the line. Spain controlled possession throughout—finishing with over 68% and 22 attempts—and might have added further gloss had Ferran Torres’s late tap-in not been ruled out for offside following a lengthy VAR review. Saudi Arabia, who had earlier earned a creditable draw with Uruguay, managed just three shots on target and rarely troubled Unai Simón.

For Spain, the performance was a pointed response to criticism that followed their opening stalemate against World Cup debutants Cape Verde. Coach Luis de la Fuente, celebrating his 65th birthday, made four changes to inject pace and width, restoring Yamal and Baena and shifting Olmo into a more advanced role. The result restores belief that La Roja remain among the tournament’s favourites, while Saudi Arabia—whose defensive shape was repeatedly breached—must regroup ahead of a must-win meeting with Cape Verde to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Spain now top the pool with four points, two clear of Uruguay and Cape Verde, who play their second match later on Sunday. Saudi Arabia stay on one point alongside those two rivals. The final round of Group H on 26 June pairs Spain with Uruguay in Guadalajara, while the Saudis face Cape Verde in Houston, with all four teams still mathematically able to progress to the expanded knockout stage.