Published on 6/21/2026
|
Last update: 23:08 (Mecca time)
Spain continues to provide impressive levels and confirm its striking technical strength in major tournaments, after it presented a remarkable offensive display that culminated in a broad victory over Saudi Arabia in the second round of the Group H competitions of the 2026 World Cup.
With this victory, La Roja strengthened its series of positive results, confirming the readiness of its current generation to continue competing at the highest level, whether in terms of team performance or individual records. Spain has maintained its unbeaten record for the 32nd consecutive match in various competitions (23 wins and 9 draws), coming close to equaling the second longest “unbeaten” streak in its history (35 matches), which was recorded between February 2007 and June 2009.
Read also
list of 2 itemsend of list
Record scoring speed
The Spanish team entered the match with clear attacking ferocity, as it succeeded in scoring three clean goals after only 23 minutes and 02 seconds of the starting whistle.
This is the fastest three goals in a World Cup match since Yugoslavia faced Zaire in 1974 (achieved in 17 minutes and 08 seconds).
The Spaniards achieved their first victory in the World Cup since opening the 2022 edition against Costa Rica (7-0), ending a series of four consecutive matches without a victory in the tournament (two draws and a loss).
On a historical level, this victory is the sixth by a difference of four goals or more in the 2026 World Cup, becoming the second highest number in the history of the tournament behind the 1954 edition (which witnessed 8 similar victories).
Lamine Gamal makes World Cup history
Spain imposed absolute control over the course of the first half, and this was translated by firing 17 shots, which is the highest number scored by any team in the first 45 minutes of a World Cup match during the current century (with only two similar cases for England against Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago in the 2006 World Cup).
In terms of individual numbers, the younger generation continued to write history:
- Lamine Jamal: At the age of (18 years and 343 days), he became the eighth youngest player to score a goal in the history of the World Cup, and the third youngest player to score in his first match in which he started, behind the Spanish Javi (18 years and 110 days in 2022) and the Romanian Nikolaj Kovac (18 years and 197 days in 1930).
- Gamal also entered the history of world football as the first player ever to start a World Cup and European Championship match when he was 18 years old or younger.
- Mikel Oyarzabal: He achieved an exceptional achievement by scoring two goals and assisting one, becoming the second player since 1966 to contribute three goals during the first 25 minutes of a World Cup match, after Hungary’s Laszlo Fazekas against El Salvador in the 1982 edition.
- Offensive efficiency: Spain succeeded in sending 5 successful cross passes out of 16 attempts in the first half, compared to only one successful pass out of 9 in its first match against Cape Verde.
Continuing defensive suffering for the Saudi national team
On the other hand, the Saudi national team continued its historical defensive suffering in its World Cup participations. His goal conceding rate rose to 2.3 goals per match (49 goals in 21 matches), which is the highest negative rate for any team that played 10 or more matches in the history of the World Cup.
In conclusion, this comprehensive performance confirms that the Spanish national team is experiencing an exceptional period of technical and offensive stability, supported by a young generation that is not afraid to break records, in a match in which the language of numbers reflected the vast technical difference between the two sides.
Watch the summary and goals of the Saudi Arabia vs. Spain match in the 2026 World Cup
