Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Welcome to the World Cup, Lamine Yamal. Welcome to the World Cup, Spain.
Teenage superstar Yamal needed just 10 minutes in his first start on soccer’s biggest stage to kick stuttering Spain into gear with a goal that launched their statement 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The 18-year-old forward slid in at the far post to touch home a low cross for the opening goal in Atlanta, becoming the eighth youngest scorer in World Cup history.
More importantly, he settled Spanish nerves after the team had been held to a surprise 0-0 draw by long-odds outsiders Cape Verde in their opening game.
In a tournament which has already seen established superstars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane get off to flying starts, the teen’s strike saw him join the party.
The Barcelona winger is already considered one the world’s top players and helped Spain win the European Championship in 2024 despite being just 16 when the tournament started.
He’s tipped to become the sport’s biggest star but came into the World Cup with questions over his fitness after he missed the end of the season with a hamstring injury.
Yamal, who was only used as a second-half substitute against Cape Verde, was thrown in from the start and wasted no time in making his presence felt.
He had already repeatedly sliced through the Saudi defence before turning home Mikel Oyarzabal’s cross.
A full house at Atlanta Stadium was mainly filled with Spain fans who had roared in celebration just at the sight of Yamal emerging for the pre-game warm-up.
And the cheers were even louder as he raced away to celebrate his goal, dropping to his knees, praying and kissing the turf.
It was just the impact Spain coach Luis de la Fuente wanted from his star player, having been inundated with questions about when Yamal would be ready to start.
Those questions felt even more anxious after Spain, one of the pre-tournament favorites, had been shut out by Cape Verde.
His opener sparked a flurry of first-half goals. Oyarzabal, who was criticised for not touching the ball at all in the first 30 minutes against Cape Verde, not only provided the assist for Yamal, but then scored two more with close range strikes in the 21st and 24th.
So dominant were Spain that De la Fuente had seen enough and took off both his scorers off at halftime.
Inside four minutes of the second half, the lead was extended when Marc Cucurella’s shot rebounded off Hassan Altambakti for an own goal.
Spain could have added further to the scoreline in stoppage time when Ferran Torres tapped in but after a three-minute VAR review, he was eventually ruled offside.
