It may have taken them a week but Spain have arrived at the World Cup – and their rivals for the trophy will be wary.
The European champions were blunt and missing a spark in their 0-0 draw with minnows Cape Verde on Monday. It was one of the most shocking results in World Cup history.
But Spain reminded everyone why they have widely been regarded as favourites to win this tournament with their overwhelming 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. There are far tougher tests to come but this was a statement.
Spain’s Rodri and Lamine Yamal celebrate against Saudi Arabia
Lamine Yamal was fit to start after being limited to a brief but exciting cameo against Cape Verde and the Barcelona 18-year-old set the tone. His electric start to the game lifted Spain’s level and put them on course for a commanding performance.
His goal after just 10 minutes was not one of his typical, beautiful works of art. But a back-post poacher finish suggests this is a player primed to add serious goal numbers to his already wonderful creativity and craft. It was his first World Cup goal but it will not be the last.
The only other player aged 18 or younger to open the scoring in a World Cup match was 17-year-old Pele against Wales in 1958. Yamal, though, is used to being mentioned alongside the greats, given the way he has taken on the Lionel Messi role at Barca.
Yamal has risen to that challenge at club level and he now relishes being the main man for his country. Dribbles, crosses, shots – he flew out of the blocks to deliver all three here. He showed his team-mates the way in Atlanta.
When Yamal hit the net, Spain had already completed 39 passes. No team at this tournament had done that so far. They then became the first country since Germany in 2014 to score three goals inside 25 minutes.
Mikel Oyarzabal – widely criticised for his failure to get into the game against Cape Verde – had crossed for Yamal to score and enjoyed netting two of his own in quick succession. The crossbar denied him a hat-trick before the break.
Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal celebrates after scoring against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta (AP Photo/Erik S.Lesser)
With Spain’s job virtually done, Yamal and Oyarzabal were withdrawn at half-time but the impact of Yamal’s influence continued as his team-mates added to the scoreline after the break, with Marc Cucurella forcing an own goal. There could easily have been more, with Spain’s strength in depth on show.
There is quality running right through this Spain squad but on Sunday we saw how a superstar can inspire those around him to reach the levels they need to hit to show off their best.
It was interesting to note some similarities between Spain’s half-time stats against Saudi Arabia and their half-time stats against Cape Verde.
Shots on target (five against Saudi Arabia vs four against Cape Verde), shots inside the box (eight vs nine), possession (71 per cent vs 70 per cent) and passes in the final third (170 vs 174) were all comparable.
But their intensity and sharpness was what made the difference.
That was reflected in Spain’s xG (1.87 against Saudi Arabia vs 1.1 against Cape Verde), shots (17 vs 13), big chances (3 vs 1) and touches in the opposition box (27 vs 18) all significantly up at half-time on Sunday.
Yamal is a joy to watch – but the substance of his importance to this Spain squad was clear to see in the numbers against Saudi Arabia.
Yamal has ignited Spain’s World Cup bid.
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