Spain panicked for four straight days. After a shocking 0-0 draw against tournament debutants Cape Verde in their Group H opener, the knives were out for coach Luis de la Fuente. The European champions looked toothless, slow, and completely devoid of ideas. Then came Atlanta.
Ten minutes into his very first World Cup start, 18-year-old Lamine Yamal slid in at the far post to tuck away a low cross. Just like that, the anxiety evaporated. Spain clicked back into gear and demolished Saudi Arabia 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Everyone is talking about how this tournament belongs to the teenager. They aren't wrong. His presence changes the entire energy of this team.
The Fear That Preceded the Liftoff
To understand why this 45-minute masterclass mattered so much, you have to look at what happened a few days prior. The scoreless draw with Cape Verde was a disaster. Spain held all the possession but did absolutely nothing with it. Critics lambasted the team for falling back into old habits of meaningless passing.
Yamal only played a tiny 20-minute cameo in that opening match. He was still protecting a troublesome left hamstring and groin injury that ended his domestic season with Barcelona back in mid-April. De la Fuente was terrified of breaking his prized possession. The fans were terrified that without him, Spain would exit early.
The pressure before the Saudi Arabia game was suffocating. Spain hadn't advanced past the World Cup round of 16 since lifting the trophy back in 2010. The ghosts of tournaments past were actively haunting the squad.
Then Yamal stepped onto the turf in Georgia. Within 41 seconds, he executed a perfect Cruyff turn to escape Salem Al-Dawsari. The crowd went wild. The tone was set.
Chasing the Ghost of Pelé
When Yamal scored in the 10th minute, he didn't just break the deadlock. He entered a rarified stratosphere of football history.
By opening the scoring at just 18 years old, he became only the second player that young to score an opening goal in a World Cup match. The only other person to do it? Pelé in 1958.
Youngest Players to Open Scoring in a World Cup Match:
1. Pelé (Brazil) - 1958
2. Lamine Yamal (Spain) - 2026
It is a ridiculous stat that puts his trajectory into perspective. Four years ago, he was literally watching Qatar 2022 from a school classroom. Now his mother and family are sitting in the luxury boxes of NFL stadiums watching him rewrite history.
His goal came from pure instinct. Alex Baena delivered a beautiful outside-of-the-boot pass to release Mikel Oyarzabal down the left wing. Oyarzabal whipped a low ball across the face of the six-yard box. Yamal read it perfectly, ghosted past his marker, and slid it home with his right foot.
He didn't care that it wasn't his favored left foot. He just found the net. The celebration said it all. He dropped to his knees, kissed the grass, and prayed.
The Mikel Oyarzabal Revival
While Yamal takes all the headlines, we need to talk about Mikel Oyarzabal. The Real Sociedad forward was brutally criticized after the Cape Verde match. He literally did not touch the ball a single time during the first 30 minutes of that game.
Football fans have short memories. They forgot he scored the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final against England. Against Saudi Arabia, he reminded everyone why he keeps getting selected.
After assisting Yamal's opener, Oyarzabal went on a tear. He scored Spain's second goal in the 21st minute, pouncing on a loose ball after Aymeric Laporte caused chaos from a corner. Three minutes later, he scored again.
By the 24th minute, Spain was 3-0 up. Game over.
The relationship between Yamal and Oyarzabal is fascinating. When Yamal plays, defenses naturally drift toward his side of the pitch. They are terrified of his dribbling. This opens up massive pockets of space on the opposite flank for players like Oyarzabal to exploit.
Managing the Minutes of a Genius
De la Fuente did something incredibly smart at halftime. He hooked both Yamal and Oyarzabal.
Some fans wanted to see a hat-trick. Others wanted to see Yamal score a wonder goal from 30 yards out. The coach didn't care about entertainment. He cared about survival.
With a commanding 3-0 lead, there was zero reason to risk Yamal’s fragile hamstring. He played 45 minutes, ran 60 yards back to break up a dangerous Saudi counter-attack right before the whistle, and proved his fitness. Job done.
Spain went on to score a fourth via a Saudi own goal by Hassan Altambakti in the second half, cruising to a comfortable 4-0 win. But the real victory was getting Yamal through the half unscathed.
Spain is treating him like fine china, and honestly, they have to. The physical demands on an 18-year-old body at this level are immense. He is expected to lead the line for both club and country without catching a breath. Taking him off was the ultimate luxury.
What Lies Ahead in Guadalajara
Spain's group stage campaign concludes on June 26 against Uruguay in Guadalajara. That match will be an entirely different beast.
Uruguay plays with a ferocious, physical intensity that will test Spain's resolve. Unlike Saudi Arabia, they won't give Yamal an inch of breathing room. The target for the Spanish medical staff has always been to have the winger 100% fit to start and potentially play the full 90 minutes against the South Americans.
If Spain wants to top Group H and secure a favorable route through the knockout rounds, they need a result. The good news is they finally have their swagger back. The ball is moving fast again. The young players are playing without fear.
Don't buy into the narrative that Spain is flawed just because of one bad game against Cape Verde. Tournaments are about peaking at the right moment. With Yamal back in the starting lineup, Spain just showed the rest of the world that they are ready to contend for the big prize.
Verify your local listings and set your alarms for the final group stage match because you won't want to miss what this kid does next.
