Spain's teenage forward Lamine Yamal etched his name into the FIFA World Cup record books on Sunday by becoming the eighth-youngest goalscorer in the tournament's history. The 18-year-old opened the scoring in Spain's commanding 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in their Group H match at the 2026 World Cup, held in Atlanta. According to Opta, Yamal was 18 years and 343 days old when he found the net in the 10th minute.
Yamal's milestone goal and comparison to Messi
The goal placed Yamal in elite company. As reported by ESPN, the Spanish prodigy scored his first World Cup goal just 14 days younger than Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who netted his maiden World Cup strike at 18 years and 357 days. Yamal's strike also marked a rare achievement: he became only the second player aged 18 or younger to open the scoring for his country in a World Cup match. The only other to do so was Brazil's Pele, who scored against Wales at 17 during the 1958 World Cup, per Opta.
Spain's dominant performance against Saudi Arabia
Spain bounced back emphatically after a goalless draw with Cape Verde in their opening fixture. They controlled the match from the start, and Yamal's early goal came from a close-range finish after being set up by Mikel Oyarzabal. Spain continued to dominate possession and created numerous chances. In the 21st minute, Oyarzabal doubled the lead by reacting quickest in the penalty area to slot home. Just three minutes later, Oyarzabal struck again, this time from a clever touch by Dani Olmo, making it 3-0.
Saudi Arabia struggled to contain Spain's attack throughout the first half. Oyarzabal nearly completed his hat-trick before the break, but his effort hit the crossbar. Spain effectively sealed the contest four minutes into the second half when a dangerous cross from Marc Cucurella deflected off Saudi defender Hassan Altambakti for an own goal.
Spain tops Group H after victory
With a four-goal advantage, Spain comfortably managed the remainder of the match, making several substitutions to rest key players. Saudi Arabia rarely threatened goalkeeper Unai Simon. Ferran Torres thought he had added a fifth goal in stoppage time, but VAR ruled it out for offside. The 4-0 win moved Spain to the top of Group H with four points from two matches. Uruguay is in second place, while Saudi Arabia sits third and Cape Verde fourth.
