Spain's 18-year-old superstar Lamine Yamal scored his first World Cup goal in the 11th minute as Spain demolished Saudi Arabia 4-0 in Atlanta on Sunday, becoming the youngest Spanish player ever to score at a World Cup. At 18 years and 343 days, Yamal surpassed the previous record held by fellow Spanish star Gavi, who scored at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Yamal's opener set up a dominant display, with Mikel Oyarzabal adding a brace in the 21st and 24th minutes, and an own goal from Hassan al-Tambakti rounding out the comfortable win. The result was a welcome response for the European champions, who had drawn 0-0 with tournament debutants Cape Verde in their Group H opener.
The goal places Yamal in elite company: he is now the eighth-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history and only the second teenager to open the scoring in a World Cup match, joining Brazil legend Pelé who achieved the same feat at 17 in the 1958 tournament. "A dream come true," Yamal told reporters after the match.