ATLANTA — We shouldn’t compare Lamine Yamal to Lionel Messi or Diego Maradona, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says. But when Yamal, 18, comes into the Spanish national team and makes this kind of immediate impact, it’s easy to get carried away.
De la Fuente already had, calling Yamal “a genius” in Saturday’s prematch news conference. He was like the artists Salvador Dali and Michelangelo, he said: “They’re different. What seems exceptional for us, isn’t for them.”
In Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Sunday in Group H, during the opening spell before the first hydration break, Yamal and Spain painted quite a picture. It wasn’t the Sistine Chapel — not yet. There will be much greater works to come at this World Cup, against more demanding opponents. But this was a first-half exhibition from Spain, and after that 0-0 slump against Cape Verde, it’s a performance that puts them right back where they belong: among the favorites to win this tournament.
Spain should have won that opening game of the World Cup, but they lacked urgency, cutting edge, and — until the last 20 minutes — a match-fit Yamal. Back in Atlanta, the only prematch talking point was whether the Barcelona winger would start.
He did, one of four changes from De la Fuente, who picked Yamal, right back Pedro Porro, and attackers Dani Olmo and Álex Baena, with Ferran Torres, Marcos Llorente, Fabián Ruiz and Gavi dropping out. It was more of a revolution in the starting XI than many had expected, an admission that Spain’s debut display had been unacceptable.
Just as important as the introduction of Yamal was the midfield tweak from De la Fuente. Benching Ruiz meant Pedri could drop deeper, joining Rodri in a midfield double pivot. It’s the position in which Pedri has been so influential for Barcelona in LaLiga. Rather than wasting energy chasing the ball high up the pitch, he could sit deep and control the game.
Olmo was influential, too, as the No. 10. Spain began at a relentless pace, moving the ball much more quickly than they had against Cape Verde six days earlier. In those opening 25 minutes, they never let up. The statistics at the end of the game, with Spain having 66.6% possession, creating four big chances and accumulating an xG (expected goals) of 2.85, don’t quite do justice to their dominance in that first period.
De la Fuente said before the match that Yamal’s enthusiasm meant he had to be held back, such was his desire to make an impression at this tournament and justify the hype. “Lamine is at the point where you have to restrain him,” the coach said on Saturday. “He loves playing football.”
You could sense that desire to impress, and to satisfy the thousands of fans who came to the stadium in Atlanta wearing Yamal’s name on the backs of their shirts, from the very start. Only 30 seconds had been played when Yamal got his first touch, received the ball, beat his man with a trick, and crossed into the six-yard box.
Spain were looking to switch the play out to Yamal on the right-hand side as often as they could, hoping that if they did so quickly enough, the winger would have just one defender to beat, rather than the two or even three he often faces, as teams try to squeeze him out of the game.
On three minutes, there was another Yamal cross, and then a shot, well over the bar from way outside the box. At that point, it felt like he might be trying just a little too hard, so desperate was he for his moment to come.
He needn’t have worried. With 10 minutes on the clock, Mikel Oyarzabal‘s expertly weighted cross found Yamal, who slid in at the far post to make it 1-0. Spain had their early goal, and all the tension and pressure of the last week evaporated. Yamal ran off, sliding into the corner flag, a huge smile on his face as he was embraced by his teammates, before kneeling and kissing the turf.
At 18 years and 343 days old, Yamal had his first World Cup goal — just a few days younger than Lionel Messi when he first scored at a World Cup … although we shouldn’t make comparisons, of course.
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“It’s special,” Yamal told DAZN afterward. “I’ve always dreamed about being at a World Cup, and being able to score in my first start is a dream. I watched the last World Cup in class at school.”
After that, it was Oyarzabal who took center stage. Having created the opening goal for Yamal, the center forward scored twice himself, with two goals in three minutes. The first displayed some of his many qualities: awareness and anticipation inside the box to read defender Aymeric Laporte‘s header, a clever touch to control the ball and find space, and then an assured finish.
Oyarzabal could have completed his hat trick on 35 minutes, hitting the bar with the outside of his foot after goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais‘ mistake. He wouldn’t get another chance. At 3-0, both Yamal and Oyarzabal were withdrawn at halftime, their work done.
“We knew, more or less” De la Fuente said when asked about Yamal’s substitution. “It depended how the game developed, but we knew today was an important step. He’s hungry. It’s good to leave him that way, wanting more. He’s happy and so are we.”
If Yamal is the superstar, Oyarzabal might just be this tournament’s most underrated player. There is no noise around him; perhaps playing for Real Sociedad, rather than Real Madrid or Barcelona, plays a part. But Oyarzabal contributed six goals and four assists in qualifying, and now he has two goals and an assist at the World Cup. He has 15 goals in his last 15 appearances for his country.
These are serious numbers, for a player who gets little to no attention, despite scoring Spain’s winning goal at Euro 2024. Oyarzabal, not Yamal, was named the game’s MVP.
“In my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have imagined something like this,” Oyarzabal said after the match. “I’ll keep it in my trophy cabinet at home. Let’s hope there are more to come.”
