Group H: Spain stride to one-sided victory over Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde stand tall against Uruguay

Yamal-inspired Spain stride to one-sided victory over Saudi Arabia Inspired by Lamine Yamal, Spain strolled to a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H on Sunday, where Mikel Oyarzabal restored his reputation with two goals and Luis de la Fuente’s side found their groove after an underwhelming World Cup opener. Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Oyarzabal, who failed to register a touch in the opening half hour in Monday’s scoreless draw with Cape Verde, scored twice in quick succession as Spain had the game wrapped up by halftime. An own goal shortly after the interval failed to re-open the floodgates, as Spain used the opportunity to make changes and rest their scorers. “Every match is different even if the game plan is similar,” De la Fuente said. “We analysed the previous match, and we all agreed that we needed more verticality to play deeper, and we saw this, and from minute one we were trying to suffocate the opponent.” De la Fuente celebrated his 65th birthday in style, and Yamal, whose only football in the last two months came as a substitute against Cape Verde, sparked life into the team that returned to Atlanta Stadium. A huge cheer greeted Yamal’s first touch, twisting and turning his marker before playing a teasing cross which was cleared by Abdulelah Alamri, the scorer of Saudi Arabia’s goal in their 1-1 with Uruguay. The opening goal came with Oyarzabal sending an inviting ball across the box and Yamal was there sliding in at the back post to score his first World Cup goal. Having toiled in vain in their opening game, the goal relaxed Spain, who began to carve open the Saudi defence at will, and the second goal came from a corner. Dani Olmo sent the ball back into the mix which the Saudis failed to clear and Aymeric Laporte nodded down to Oyarzabal who bundled the ball into the net. Three minutes later, Spain were in again with a beautifully worked goal. Pedro Porro floated a pass into the area and the ball never touched the ground until it found the net. Marc Cucurella’s hooked pass found Olmo who headed into the six-yard box for Oyarzabal to tap-in on the volley, as the striker proved that given the right service, he is Spain’s man to deliver. He did, after all, score six goals in Spain’s six qualifiers, and came close to completing his hat-trick with a shot from a wide angle which bounced off the bar as Spain, smelling blood, went for the kill. “We’re so happy to have turned things around,” Oyarzabal said. “I didn’t have that many touches of the ball in the last game or such a good performance. “I wouldn’t say I’m trying to prove myself because I’ve always said that I’ve felt appreciated and valued by the people whose opinion matters most to me, my teammates, the coach and everyone we work with.” SECOND HALF SIESTA Spain replaced Yamal and Oyarzabal for the second half, but picked up where they left off when the Saudi goalkeeper blocked Cucurella’s volley from a corner and the ball ricocheted off defender Hassan Altambakti and into the net. The European champions continued to create chances, but understandably took their foot off the gas on a day when even Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old hero keeper, would have struggled against this version of Spain, who look back to their best. Spain advance to four points in the standings while Saudi Arabia stay on one after two games each. Courageous Cape Verde stand tall as Uruguay’s World Cup pedigree wilts As Cape Verde celebrated one more precious World Cup point against yet another former champion, the shock was not that they scored twice against Uruguay in a pulsating 2-2 draw but that they never looked surprised themselves. This was only Cape Verde’s second World Cup match, a fixture that on paper pitted newcomers against one of the traditional powers, with 51 rungs separating the two sides in the rankings. Yet from the opening minutes, it was difficult to identify which team carried the weight of history and which players were simply enjoying the moment as Cape Verde approached Uruguay without deference or fear. “This is something we owe to other smaller national teams, teams that struggle to qualify for a World Cup,” Cape Verde coach Bubista told reporters. “A country may be small, may struggle financially, but if they’re resilient, if they can endure struggle, if they work in an organised manner, they can also stand shoulder to shoulder with other major teams.” Marcelo Bielsa had packed Uruguay’s midfield, probably in the expectation that Cape Verde could sit back as they did against Spain, but that backfired quickly. Cape Verde’s confidence was visible in moments, when Garry Rodrigues spun away from Guillermo Varela with a turn that drew a roar from the crowd or when Telmo Arcanjo made a driving run from deep into Uruguay territory. Rodrigo Bentancur could do little more than bring him down and accept a booking as Uruguay appeared unsettled and unsure where the next challenge would come from. AMBITIOUS FREE KICK Cape Verde’s opening goal reflected that boldness as Kevin Pina’s ambitious strike from over 30 metres out squeezed through the wall and beyond the desperate dive of veteran keeper Fernando Muslera. The celebrations carried the emotion of a country witnessing history and were so exuberant that the referee eventually had to usher players back towards the centre circle for the restart. Rather than retreat after taking the lead, Cape Verde became even more adventurous, attempting the improbable with a corner aimed directly at goal, while there was also an audacious shot from their own half when Muslera was off his line. Uruguay took Cape Verde’s showboating as an insult and the lead disappeared with Maxi Araujo’s poacher finish for the equaliser before setting up Agustin Canobbio for the second as they turned the match completely on its head. But Cape Verde remained unbowed and soon produced perhaps their defining moment of the tournament. Helio Varela came on as a substitute and his eyes lit up when Mathias Olivera’s loose back pass ended up in no man’s land, accepting the gift gratefully as he skilfully sent the ball into an empty net with Muslera off his line. As Olivera sank to his knees in despair, Varela struck a pose to show off his chiselled biceps as he was lifted into the air by his teammates, some of whom could not hold back tears. BODIES ON THE LINE Cape Verde’s performance was built on more than just technical quality. Every lost ball triggered a sprint back towards their own box while they threw their bodies into challenges with no regard for their own safety. They also threatened on several counter-attacks, the Uruguay defence working overtime with almost no support as the men in red easily cut through a midfield that had lost complete control. When the final whistle blew, it was abundantly clear which side enjoyed the result more. As Uruguay’s squad walked down the tunnel with their heads bowed, Cape Verde’s players stayed on the pitch, their heads held high as they basked in the love of their grateful fans.