Spain wins to convince the doubters

What happened with Cape Verde wasn’t fake news, but it certainly resembled it. Spain took six days to digest that bitter moment, perhaps a simple lapse, the kind of setback that can sometimes come with a World Cup debut. The national team needed six days to recover and show the world a glimpse of its true identity: high pressing, quick ball circulation and collective solidarity. Making the difficult look easy, in short.

That formula produced a rout of Saudi Arabia (4-0) that restored smiles ahead of the final group match against Uruguay. It is three points, nothing more, but enough to sleep peacefully.

We should have stayed alert; there had been enough warning signs to demand it. Some came from this same World Cup, such as our own stumble against Cape Verde or Portugal’s scare against the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Ecuador’s against Curaçao. But Saudi Arabia, Spain’s opponent in Atlanta, had also sent out a warning that made headlines. It happened four years ago, at the Qatar World Cup, when they stunned Argentina in their opening match, a team that would eventually lift the trophy.

Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored the goal that sealed that 2-1 victory, was also in the starting eleven chosen by Georgios Donis to face Spain. Pedro Porro was handed the toughest assignment: dealing with the best player on the opposing team, a footballer who joined Villarreal as part of the Saudi influx into LaLiga in 2018. The Tottenham full-back was one of four changes from the side that faced Cape Verde, alongside Baena, Olmo and Lamine. Llorente, Fabián, Gavi and Ferran were the players left out.

What surprised most was that, in the absence of a fully fit Nico Williams, De la Fuente had opted for Gavi and Baena in the first two matches rather than Yeremy Pino, a more natural winger. Across the pitch, the Saudi lineup clearly signalled a plan based on resistance, with Donis choosing to deploy three centre-backs.

There was such eagerness to see the real Spain that every touch of the ball seemed to reveal a green shoot of recovery. Almost all of them grew down the right wing, where the eyes of both fans and Saudi defenders were fixed on Lamine. He tried from the very first moment, taking off, sprinting, stopping dead in his tracks: pure Lamine, in short.

The only concern was that Spain’s attacking play might become too predictable and revolve solely around that side. It did not. By the 10th minute, the team’s versatility was already clear. Saudi Arabia paid dearly for a poor build-up from the back that ended at Baena’s feet. He immediately switched play to the left, where that silent killer, Oyarzabal, had drifted into space. Without hesitation, the Real Sociedad forward delivered a low cross that was turned in at the far post by the cleverest player on the pitch: Lamine.

“The players are fired up”

At last, the goal arrived, that precious reward that had eluded Spain in the opening match against Cape Verde. Would it ease the pressure, releasing the tension created by that cursed 0-0 draw on Monday? It certainly seemed to. The team did not take its foot off the accelerator.

“The group is hurt. The players are very fired up, very fired up,” De la Fuente had admitted before the match. Stung and inspired. In the 21st minute came the 2-0, a goal that was not an ode to football but was shaped by Oyarzabal’s sharpness. Then, in the 23rd minute, came the third, once again created by the Real Sociedad forward. Goalkeeper Al-Owais, who had impressed against Uruguay, was suddenly left exposed.

The hydration break offered Donis’s players a brief respite, although a sip of water and some electrolytes could do little to change the course of the match.

Saudi Arabia’s problem, already complicated after their opening defeat, had been resolved more than satisfactorily. From that moment on, Spain’s task was simply to play with control and avoid unnecessary risks. Replace Lamine at half-time? It was easy to imagine that thought crossing the coach’s mind.

That suspicion was confirmed when the players returned to the pitch fifteen minutes later. Lamine and Oyarzabal remained in the dressing room, while Ferran and Yeremy came on. The rest of the structure stayed intact, with the Rodri-Pedri partnership continuing in midfield. How much better the Madrid-born midfielder looked compared with the debut, and how much Pedri shines when he drops a few metres deeper and helps initiate attacks.

The second half can be summed up in two lines. A non-aggression pact settled over the pitch, the scoreline grew further when a Cucurella shot ended up as a Tambakti own goal (4-0), and everyone headed for the showers.

On Friday comes Uruguay: Bielsa, Valverde and a match with far more football flavour.

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