Lamine Yamal dominated discussion before the match and continued to do so long after the final whistle, as Spain dismantled Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta to announce their credentials as genuine World Cup contenders.
The 18-year-old had been restricted to just 19 minutes in Spain's surprise goalless draw with Cape Verde, with manager Luis de la Fuente managing his return from a hamstring injury suffered in April. Fit enough to start this time, Yamal's influence was felt from the opening exchanges.
He had not even touched the ball before the crowd reacted — thousands of fans wearing his name, every appearance on the big screen met with a thunderous roar. When he did get involved, he reshaped the first half entirely.
A goal fit for the occasion
Spain delivered on their promise to play with boldness and directness. Where their opening game against Cape Verde had lacked urgency, this performance was sharp, vibrant, and commanding from the first minute.
The breakthrough arrived in fitting fashion. A low cross whipped across the face of goal, and Yamal slid in at the back post to convert — his first World Cup goal, celebrated with extraordinary scenes inside the Atlanta stadium.
That strike made Yamal only the seventh player in World Cup history to score before turning 19. He also became only the second player aged 18 or under to open the scoring in a World Cup match — the other being a 17-year-old Pelé, who scored for Brazil against Wales in 1958. Remarkably, Yamal achieved this feat two weeks younger than Lionel Messi did when he netted his first World Cup goal in 2006.
Comparisons with Messi inevitable
Speaking on Match of the Day, former England forward Wayne Rooney was full of praise.
