ATLANTA — Welcome to the World Cup, Lamine Yamal. Welcome to the World Cup, Spain.
Teenage superstar Yamal scored 10 minutes into his first start on soccer's biggest stage and Spain kickstarted its tournament with the 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday.
The 18-year-old forward slid in at the far post to touch home a low cross for the opening goal and became the eighth-youngest scorer in World Cup history. More importantly, he settled Spanish nerves after the European champion was held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in its opening game.
“The first game wasn’t really us, it was different, but now we’ve arrived and we’re going for more," Yamal said.
In a tournament that has already seen Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane get off to flying starts, Yamal's strike saw him join the party.
“I’ve always dreamed of being at a World Cup, and being able to score in my first match as a starter is a dream,” he said. “I watched the last World Cup from a classroom so being able to score here with my mum and my family in the stands is a dream come true.”
The Barcelona winger is already considered one the world’s top players and helped Spain win the European Championship in 2024 despite being just 16 years old when the tournament started. He is tipped to take over from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the sport’s biggest star but came into the World Cup with questions over his fitness after he missed the end of the season with a hamstring injury.
After being used only as a second-half substitute against Cape Verde, he was thrown in from the start on Sunday and wasted no time in making his presence felt, repeatedly slicing through the Saudi defense before turning home Mikel Oyarzabal's cross.
“When there are players with individual attributes in this game that can work (beat opponents) one-on-one, they can make a difference,” said Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis. “This is a player that makes a difference all the time in Spain and I think the better the physical condition, the more time he has, he’ll help his team even more.”
A full house at Atlanta Stadium that was mainly filled with Spain fans erupted in celebration just at the sight of Yamal emerging for the pre-game warm up. And the cheers were even louder as he raced away to celebrate his goal, dropping to his knees, praying and kissing the turf.
It was just the impact Spain coach Luis de la Fuente wanted from his star player, having been inundated with questions about when Yamal would be ready to start.
Those questions felt even more anxious after Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites, was shut out by Cape Verde.
After all, Spain has failed to advance beyond the round of 16 since lifting the World Cup in 2010, winning just three games during that run.
But Yamal's opener sparked a flurry of first-half goals. Oyarzabal, who was criticized for not touching the ball at all in the first 30 minutes against Cape Verde, not only provided the assist for Yamal, but scored two more with close range strikes in the 21st and 24th.
So dominant was Spain's lead that De la Fuente had seen enough and took both his scorers off at halftime.
Inside four minutes of the second half, the lead was extended when Marc Cucurella's shot rebounded off Hassan Altambakti for an own goal.
“It’s crazy to question this team,” De la Fuente said. "You can have better days, worse days, normal days, but questioning, doubting this generation of very young footballers, with a bright future, I think it’s unfair.
“I love that I have the honor to lead this group of footballers, this group of players who are a role model for many people in football and for many athletes and people loving this sport.”
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup