Two minutes. That’s all it took Spain to remind the world exactly who they are.
While the rest of the planet was still settling into their sofas, Mikel Oyarzabal had already put the ball in the net — and La Roja were off to the races. Spain wrapped up their final pre-World Cup friendly with a slick, controlled 3–1 win over Peru at the historic Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, and honestly? The defending European champions looked frighteningly good doing it.
The First Two Minutes Were Not Peru’s Friend
Kick-off had barely happened when Pau Cubarsí — yes, the teenager — played a laser-guided ball into the attacking third like he’d been doing this for a decade. Oyarzabal took one touch, opened his body, and unleashed a thunderous left-footed strike past Pedro Gallese. 1–0. Spain’s bench erupted. Peru’s players looked at each other like they’d just been mugged.
Give Peru credit — they didn’t panic. They actually had the nerve to push forward and test Unai Simón a few times, even enjoying a surprising share of possession in patches. Adrián Ugarriza went close. Jhonny Vidales probed. For a team that didn’t even qualify for this World Cup, they weren’t here to make up numbers.
But Spain’s midfield — Rodri, Pedri, and Fabián Ruiz pulling the strings — was just on another level. The ball moved like it had GPS. In the 32nd minute, Ferran Torres whipped in a gorgeous cross from the right, and there was Pedri, sliding in at the back post to poke it home. 2–0. Classic, clinical, effortless. The @SeFutbol account on X simply posted the goal clip with a single football emoji. That was enough.
There was also a brief scare — Oyarzabal went down clutching his ankle and the internet briefly lost its mind — but he bounced straight back up and carried on. Crisis averted.
The Second Half: Chaos, an Own Goal, and Peru’s Pride
Luis de la Fuente went full World Cup manager mode at half-time, throwing on David Raya, Dani Olmo, Yeremy Pino, and Eric García. Four changes at once. The rotation machine was in full swing.
It was Pino who caused absolute mayhem in the 53rd minute, whipping in a dangerous cross from the left that Peru goalkeeper Gallese reached for — and accidentally guided straight into his own net. Brutal. The kind of moment you rewind four times just to confirm it actually happened. 3–0.
Game over? Almost. But Peru weren’t going to leave Puebla without something to show for their night. In the 66th minute, substitute Jairo Vélez pounced on a loose ball inside the box, assisted by Marcos López, and tucked it past David Raya to make it 3–1. The @SeleccionPeru account on X gave their fans a simple but proud message: “Nuestro once inicial 💪🏼⚽️ #UnSentimientoQueNosUne” — a nod to the fight their boys showed throughout. Respect.
But Spain cruised home from there. Gavi came on and immediately started bossing midfield like he hadn’t missed a beat. Merino added energy. The game finished 3–1 — comfortable, professional, and very, very ominous.
The Big Picture
One elephant in the room: Lamine Yamal was absent through injury. The 18-year-old superstar didn’t play a single minute, and Spain still did this. That’s either deeply impressive or a sign of a very settled squad — probably both.
Spain open their 2026 World Cup campaign against Cape Verde on June 15, and after this performance, they look every bit like title contenders. The midfield machine is humming. Pedri is in form. Oyarzabal opened the scoring in two minutes flat. And Lamine Yamal hasn’t even shown up yet.
The rest of the tournament has been warned.
