MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group H · Sunday, June 21 · Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta · 68,239 in the stands

kickoff 12:00 local · 26°C · 80% humidity · roofed stadium

Spain

10′ Lamine YAMAL (pen)

21′ Mikel OYARZABAL (pen)

24′ Mikel OYARZABAL (pen)

49′ (og)

4:0

Saudi Arabia

tap a player for their match file

Spain4-3-3
Saudi Arabia5-4-1
Unai SIMON7.3Pedro PORRO7.9Aymeric LAPORTE7.8Pau CUBARSI7.6Marc CUCURELLA6.7Alex BAENA6.9RODRI6.9PEDRI7.4Dani OLMO7.2Lamine YAMAL8.0Mikel OYARZABAL9.5MOHAMMED ALOWAIS5.1ALI LAJAMI6.7ABDULELAH ALAMRI6.3HASSAN ALTAMBAKTI4.8SAUD ABDULHAMID5.4MOTEB ALHARBI5.4NASSER ALDAWSARI6.0MUSAB ALJUWAYR5.4ABDULLAH ALKHAIBARI5.7FERAS ALBRIKAN6.2SALEM ALDAWSARI5.3
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′ESPKSA

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 10′Yamal0.28 xG
  • 21′Oyarzabal0.19 xG
  • 24′Oyarzabal0.49 xG
  • 49′Al Tambakti0.03 xG
ESP 0:0 KSA0'kickoff
2' Baena — xG 0.03 · Blocked4' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Missed8' Olmo — xG 0.01 · Missed10' Porro — xG 0.02 · Missed10' Yamal — xG 0.28 · Goal13' Pedri — xG 0.08 · Missed15' Baena — xG 0.02 · Missed17' Oyarzabal — xG 0.02 · Saved21' Olmo — xG 0.04 · Missed21' Oyarzabal — xG 0.19 · Goal24' Oyarzabal — xG 0.49 · Goal30' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Missed35' Al-Amri — xG 0.08 · Missed36' Oyarzabal — xG 0.06 · Post36' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Saved37' Yamal — xG 0.02 · Missed42' Oyarzabal — xG 0.04 · Missed45 + 1' Rodri — xG 0.04 · Missed45 + 4' S. Al-Dawsari — xG 0.03 · Blocked49' Cucurella — xG 0.18 · Saved49' Al Tambakti — xG 0.00 · Goal53' Porro — xG 0.20 · Saved53' Torres — xG 0.04 · Saved65' Torres — xG 0.44 · Missed81' Al-Hamdan — xG 0.04 · Saved90 + 8' Merino — xG 0.05 · Blocked

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

ESP 0:0 KSA
1.02.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′10' Yamal — GOAL21' Oyarzabal — GOAL24' Oyarzabal — GOAL49' Al Tambakti — GOAL2.310.15

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

ESP 4-3-3 attack →, ← KSA 5-4-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

23Unai SIMONUnai SIMON12Pedro PORROPedro PORRO14Aymeric LAPORTEAymeric LAPORTE22Pau CUBARSIPau CUBARSI24Marc CUCURELLAMarc CUCURELLA15Alex BAENAAlex BAENA16RODRIRODRI20PEDRIPEDRI10Dani OLMODani OLMO19Lamine YAMALLamine YAMAL21Mikel OYARZABALMikel OYARZABAL21MOHAMMED ALOWAISMOHAMMED ALOWAIS3ALI LAJAMIALI LAJAMI4ABDULELAH ALAMRIABDULELAH ALAMRI5HASSAN ALTAMBAKTIHASSAN ALTAMBAKTI12SAUD ABDULHAMIDSAUD ABDULHAMID24MOTEB ALHARBIMOTEB ALHARBI6NASSER ALDAWSARINASSER ALDAWSARI7MUSAB ALJUWAYRMUSAB ALJUWAYR15ABDULLAH ALKHAIBARIABDULLAH ALKHAIBARI9FERAS ALBRIKANFERAS ALBRIKAN10SALEM ALDAWSARISALEM ALDAWSARI

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

63%
Possession
30%
3.20
Expected goals
0.11
76
Threat
24
22
Shots
3
8
On target
2
688
Passes completed
309
44
Forced turnovers
42
9.5s
Ball recovery time
20.4s
8.43
High-press phases
3.43
1
Fouls committed
10
2
Offsides
3
116 km
Distance covered
115 km
33.7 km/h
Top speed
33.7 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Spain attack →, ← Saudi Arabia attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 10′Lamine YAMAL (Spain) scores!!
  2. 21′Mikel OYARZABAL (Spain) scores!!
  3. 24′Mikel OYARZABAL (Spain) scores!!
  4. 30′SALEM ALDAWSARI (Saudi Arabia) is booked by the referee.
  5. ′Before the second half begins Yeremy PINO (in) comes off the bench to replace Lamine YAMAL (out) (Spain)
  6. ′Before the second half begins Ferran TORRES (in) comes off the bench to replace Mikel OYARZABAL (out) (Spain)
  7. ′Before the second half begins ABDULLAH ALHAMDDAN (in) comes off the bench to replace MUSAB ALJUWAYR (out) (Saudi Arabia)
  8. ′Before the second half begins MOHAMED KANNO (in) comes off the bench to replace ABDULLAH ALKHAIBARI (out) (Saudi Arabia)
  9. 49′HASSAN ALTAMBAKTI (Saudi Arabia) scores an own goal.
  10. 60′MOHAMED KANNO (Saudi Arabia) is booked by the referee.
  11. 60′MOHAMMED ABU ALSHAMAT (in) comes off the bench to replace FERAS ALBRIKAN (out) (Saudi Arabia)
  12. 60′ALA ALHAJJI (in) comes off the bench to replace ABDULELAH ALAMRI (out) (Saudi Arabia)
  13. 61′Mikel MERINO (in) comes off the bench to replace Dani OLMO (out) (Spain)
  14. 61′Nico WILLIAMS (in) comes off the bench to replace Alex BAENA (out) (Spain)
  15. 70′Fabian RUIZ (in) comes off the bench to replace PEDRI (out) (Spain)
  16. 90′KHALID ALGHANNAM (in) comes off the bench to replace NASSER ALDAWSARI (out) (Saudi Arabia)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

Spain's Clinical Atlanta Opening Ends in Rout

Spain announced their intent within fourteen minutes. Three goals dispatched Saudi Arabia's defensive hopes before the stadium had found its rhythm. Mikel Oyarzabal led the assault from his elevated rating, with Lamine Yamal's youth unsettling a 5-4-1 shape that had no answer to Spain's positional pressure. Saudi Arabia, stuck at thirty per cent possession, offered little until a 49th-minute response—a reminder that scorelines can flatter, but not by much here.

The numbers explain the outcome with brutal clarity. Spain's 3.2 expected goals against Saudi Arabia's 0.11 told the story of a match played at different intensities. Ball recovery times—9.5 seconds for Spain versus 20.4 for Saudi Arabia—exposed the gap between champions and visitors. Oyarzabal's 9.5 rating and Yamal's 8.0 reflected dominance that transcended the scoreline. Even Spain's misses (0.44 xG in the 65th minute, two further saves) underscored their margin of control.

Spain's ball recovery time of 9.5 seconds—against Saudi Arabia's 20.4—described the gulf between them as clearly as the scoreline.

24′

Spain's third goal (0.49 xG) made it 3-0, rendering the contest effectively over.

What Spain needed

Early intensity and clinical finishing proved decisive; second-half complacency offered unnecessary danger.

  • Early goal-rate (three in 24 minutes) demonstrated dominance Saudi Arabia never matched.
  • Ball recovery time of 9.5 seconds versus Saudi Arabia's 20.4 defined the tempo entirely.
  • Eight shots on target from 22 attempts justified the 3.2 xG superiority.

What Saudi Arabia needed

Passive setup and glacial recovery times exposed them to Spain's relentless tempo.

  • Matching Spain's 8.4 high-press phases (they managed 3.4) might have disrupted buildup play.
  • Recovery time of 20.4 seconds left gaps; tightening to 12-14 seconds was critical.
  • Three shots and 0.11 xG betray attacking poverty; more incisive play was non-negotiable.