Spain bounce back from Cape Verde shock with emphatic 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia
Spain recovered from a disappointing draw against debutants Cape Verde by thrashing Saudi Arabia 4-0 in their second World Cup Group H match.
Spain's football team responded to their shocking 0-0 draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde by dominating Saudi Arabia 4-0 on Sunday in Atlanta. The victory puts Spain in a strong position in Group H.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute with his first World Cup goal, converting a pass from Mikel Oyarzabal. Oyarzabal then scored twice himself—first in the 21st minute from an Aymeric Laporte assist, and again in the 24th minute with a header from Dani Olmo's cross. He also hit the crossbar in the 36th minute.
In the 49th minute, a corner kick led to an own goal by Saudi defender Hassan Tambakti, making it 4-0. Ferran Torres had a goal disallowed in stoppage time after a VAR review for offside.
Group H's first round saw Spain and Cape Verde draw 0-0, while Uruguay and Saudi Arabia played 1-1. Upcoming matches include Cape Verde vs Uruguay, as well as Belgium vs Iran and New Zealand vs Egypt in other groups.
The World Cup features 48 teams for the first time, divided into 12 groups. The top two from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advance to the knockout stage. Group play ends on June 27, with the final scheduled for July 19. Argentina won the previous tournament in 2022.
