There’s something poetic about a teenager scoring his first World Cup goal before most people have finished their breakfast. That’s exactly what Lamine Yamal did on Sunday in Atlanta — and by the time Mikel Oyarzabal had added his second, Spain had already sent a message to the rest of the tournament: we’re back, and we mean business.
The Pressure Was Real
Let’s rewind. Just six days earlier, Spain — one of the tournament favourites — were held to a humiliating 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in their Group H opener. The whole world laughed.
A 40-year-old journeyman goalkeeper called Vozinha had just made Spain look like they’d never seen a football, and the chatter was brutal: Is Spain actually a contender?
It stung. And Yamal hadn’t even started that first game — he came on as a substitute in the 71st minute, still managing a left hamstring injury picked up at Barcelona back in April.
Coach Luis de la Fuente was nursing him back to full fitness one game at a time. Against Saudi Arabia, he handed the teenager the starting shirt. It took Yamal ten minutes to remind the world why.
Ten Minutes. One Touch. History Made.
Mikel Oyarzabal drove a low ball across the face of goal to the back post. Yamal arrived perfectly and slid in a right-footed finish. 1-0. Simple as that.
At 18 years and 343 days old, he became the seventh-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history — surpassing Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Lionel Messi, who scored his first World Cup goal at 18 years and 357 days. Yamal is younger. By 14 days.
And there’s a bigger name on that record list: Pelé. Yamal is now only the second player aged 18 or under to open the scoring for his country in a World Cup game. The first was the Brazilian legend himself, back in 1958. That is the company this boy keeps.
After the game, Yamal told DAZN: “I’ve always dreamed about being at a World Cup, and being able to score in my first start is a dream. I watched the last World Cup in class at school.”
He watched it in class at school. Let that sink in.
Oyarzabal Takes the Wheel
With Yamal having lit the spark, Oyarzabal set Atlanta alight. The Real Sociedad striker doubled the lead in the 21st minute, reacting quickest after Saudi Arabia failed to clear a corner. Three minutes later — three — he swept home again from Dani Olmo’s flick to complete a stunning first-half brace.
Spain were three goals up before half-time and became the first side since Germany in 2014 to score three goals inside 25 minutes at a World Cup. An own goal from Hassan Al-Tambakti in the second half made it a 4-0 demolition. Ferran Torres even had a fifth ruled out by VAR — a fitting coda to a night where Spain had too much of everything.
A Different Team Entirely
De la Fuente was frank after the game: Yamal could have played on, but with the match won, there was no point burning minutes. “The next game we could have him for a full match,” the coach confirmed. “He’s back and he’s fit.”
Those four words. That’s all Spain fans needed to hear.
Group H is still wide open, with a blockbuster Spain vs. Uruguay decider still to come. But after this performance, nobody will be writing La Roja off again. A boy who watched the last World Cup from a classroom desk just scored a goal that puts him in the same conversation as Pelé and Messi.
In 2026, Lamine Yamal is no longer a prospect. He’s arrived.
Man of the Match: Oyarzabal
