Spain cruised to a dominant 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Mikel Oyarzabal inspired a first-half blitz.
Both nations entered this World Cup group stage fixture desperate for three points after drawing their respective opening matches. Spain wanted to assert their power early on the global stage and control the tempo from the whistle.
The European giants took control immediately and opened the scoring in the 10th minute. Young winger Lamine Yamal curled a precise shot into the bottom corner after a clever pass from midfielder Dani Olmo.
Spain doubled their advantage in the 21st minute of play. Aymeric Laporte found Mikel Oyarzabal with a superb pass, and the forward calmly slotted his effort past the helpless goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Just three minutes later, Oyarzabal struck again to put Spain three goals ahead. The forward turned in another neat finish in the 24th minute, capitalizing on defensive confusion to stun the Saudi fans.
Saudi Arabia struggled to cope with the relentless passing of their opponents. Salem Al Dawsari received a yellow card in the 30th minute as frustration began to boil over for the Asian side.
Leading comfortably at the break, Spain substituted their key goalscorers to rest them for upcoming matches. Saudi Arabia needed a major tactical shift in the second half just to keep the score respectable.
However, Spain extended their lead just four minutes after the restart. Under heavy pressure, Saudi defender Hassan Tambakti accidentally guided the ball into his own net in the 49th minute to make it 4-0.
The match grew more physical as the second half progressed. Mohamed Kanno picked up another yellow card for Saudi Arabia in the 60th minute, but Spain easily controlled the remaining minutes of the game.
Spain dominated possession with 66 percent of the ball and completed 636 accurate passes. They created 21 total shots with an expected goals rating of 2.78, while restricting Saudi Arabia to just one shot on target.
This commanding victory puts Spain in a strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds. Saudi Arabia must now win their final group match to keep their World Cup dreams alive in North America.
