Soccer
Luis de la Fuente believes Spain have silenced their World Cup critics after Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal inspired an emphatic 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
Spain put themselves in a strong position to qualify in top spot from Group F at Atlanta Stadium on Sunday, with Yamal netting his first World Cup goal in the 10th minute.
Oyarzabal then netted twice in three minutes to put La Roja in control at the break, with the Real Sociedad man along with Yamal withdrawn by De la Fuente at the break.
Spain were still able to add to their tally through Hassan Al Tambakti’s unfortunate own goal four minutes after the restart, as they responded to their surprise goalless draw with tournament debutants Cape Verde in their opening group game.
La Roja remain unbeaten in each of their last 32 matches across all competitions (W23 D9), which is now the outright second-longest streak without defeat in their history (35, between February 2007 and June 2009).
And De la Fuente explained that the criticism of their stalemate with Cape Verde was unwarranted, especially for a team that have not lost a competitive game for over three years.
“When someone questions your work, it is only human that anyone with courage and pride reacts to prove people wrong,” said De la Fuente.
“We shouldn’t view that criticism as a source of annoyance, but it pushes people to bring out their best. My only point is that it needs to be kept in perspective.
“It strikes me as absurd to doubt this team that has not lost in 33 consecutive games. To doubt this generation? I find that unfair.”
Nuestra mayor felicidad es haceros felices a vosotros.#VamosEspaña | #CopaMundialFIFA pic.twitter.com/b68Sqe6ZGt
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) June 21, 2026
Oyarzabal was one of those players scrutinised after his display against Cape Verde, having become the first player on record with 0 touches in the first 30 minutes of a World Cup game, but he was the star of the show here.
With two goals and an assist, Oyarzabal was only the second player on record (since 1966) to record three goal involvements in the opening 25 minutes of a World Cup match, after Hungary’s Laszlo Fazekas against El Salvador in 1982 (one goal, two assists).
He has also now been involved in 21 goals in 14 matches for Spain since the start of 2025 (14 goals, seven assists), the joint-highest tally by a European player across all competitions for his national team during this period, level with Erling Haaland (21).
“People who understand football rate him incredibly highly; he has a massive impact on the national team,” De la Fuente added when asked if Oyarzabal is underrated.
“I want to champion Mikel because he is a player capable of making history for Spanish football.”
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, see their knockout hopes go down to the final day, where they face Cape Verde, having drawn their opening group game against Uruguay.
But Georgios Donis’ side struggled to threaten Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, registering an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.14 from their three attempts in the match.
It was once again their defence that proved to be their downfall. Saudi Arabia average 2.3 goals conceded per game at the World Cup (49 in 21 games), the highest rate of any nation to play at least 10 times in the competition.
And Donis conceded that his team lacked the necessary strength to implement their defensive plan in trying to stifle Spain’s star-studded attack.
“We decided to play with three centre backs, so with five across the back and have a low block and to do as best we could possibly defensively,” Donis said.
“But we had to be stronger and stop the ball. There was no single reason for what didn’t go well for us, but the key is we were not strong enough around the edge of our box.
“Spain scored early with excellent pace, and this affected our morale. After that, we made a lot of mistakes when we had the ball at our feet.
“When a game is not going well and when you concede three goals quickly, you feel insecure. Obviously, we were affected, but you see that often in football. That is only natural.”
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