Man City 2026 World Cup Watch: Rodri commands as Spain crush Saudi Arabia | OneFootball

Rodri captained Spain to a commanding victory over Saudi Arabia in their second group stage contest of the FIFA World Cup on Sunday evening.

A 4-0 victory to banish memories of a frustrating, goalless opening draw against Cape Verde featured 18-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal taking just 10 minutes to open his tournament account, sliding home a low Mikel Oyarzabal cross to the back post.

The Barcelona starlet etched his name into the history books, becoming the first player under the age of 19 to score a FIFA World Cup match-opener since Pelé in 1958. Real Sociedad’s Oyarzabal then took control, firing home a quick-fire double within three minutes to extinguish any Saudi hopes of an upset.

He first capitalised on a failed defensive clearance from a corner to fire low past goalkeeper Mohammad Al-Owais, before turning home a Dani Olmo flick moments later. Oyarzabal was inches away from completing a first-half hat-trick, but his effort rattled the crossbar after he intercepted a stray pass from the under-pressure Saudi shot-stopper.

With three points securely in the bag, Luis De la Fuente withdrew both Yamal and Oyarzabal at the interval, but the adjustment did little to halt La Roja’s momentum. Three minutes into the second half, Marc Cucurella unleashed a powerful strike that Al-Owais could only parry into Saudi defender Hassan Al Tambakti, resulting in an unfortunate own goal to make it 4-0.

Though Spain lowered the tempo in the final half-hour, substitute Ferran Torres dragged a great opportunity wide and saw a stoppage-time tap-in chalked off for a marginal offside following a lengthy VAR review, while Saudi Arabia were limited to just a solitary late, comfortably saved shot on target from Abdullah Al Hamddan.

Rodri match statistics vs Saudi Arabia

90 Minutes129 Touches (Most)113 Accurate Passes95% Pass Accuracy8 Recoveries8 Passes Into Final Third6 Accurate Long Balls4 Ground Duels Won2 Tackles2 Clearances2 Aerial Duels Won1 Was Fouled1 Interception1 Chance Created1 Headed Clearance1 Successful Dribble

Data courtesy of FotMob.