La Roja take the stage: Spain thrash Saudi Arabia 4-0

In 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H, Spain beat Saudi Arabia 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. After a shock goalless draw with Cabo Verde in their opener, La Roja delivered the response they wanted with a comprehensive scoreline and moved ahead in the group race.

Spain started fast and opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Young star Lamine Yamal, starting in the XI and over his injury, found the net from Mikel Oyarzabal's assist. Then Oyarzabal took centre stage; the experienced striker scored twice — from a Laporte pass in the 21st and a Dani Olmo pass in the 24th — to make it 3-0 and Spain went in comfortably at the break.

Spain also began the second half on top and stretched the lead to four in the 49th. This time the goal came via an unfortunate own goal from Saudi defender Tambakti. Luis de la Fuente rested Yamal and Oyarzabal at half-time, bringing on Yeremy Pino and Ferran Torres, and later handed minutes to the likes of Nico Williams, Mikel Merino and Fabián Ruiz. Torres' goal in the 90+2 was disallowed for offside.

The statistics laid bare Spain's crushing superiority. La Roja reached 66% possession and 2.85 expected goals (xG), with Saudi Arabia on 0.13. Spain had 22 shots and created six big chances; the Falcons finished the game with just three shots and barely entered the opposition box. For Saudi Arabia, Salem Al Dawsari was booked in the 30th minute and Kanno in the 60th for an elbow.

The match was officiated by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus. With this win, Spain largely put behind them the disappointment of the Cabo Verde draw and took a strong step towards topping the group. Yamal's return and Oyarzabal's goalscoring display in particular were promising signs for La Roja ahead of next week's showdown with Uruguay. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, will focus on their final match to keep their group hopes alive.

Image: Al Jazeera