Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia in Atlanta
Teenage forward Lamine Yamal slid in at the far post to touch home a low cross for the opening goal. The 18-year-old became the eighth youngest scorer in World Cup history and gave Spain lift after the team was held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in its opening game.
In a tournament that has already seen Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane get off to flying starts, Yamal's strike put him in that company. The Barcelona winger is already considered one of the world's top players and helped Spain win the European Championship in 2024 despite being just 16 years old when that tournament started. He is tipped to take over from Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as 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 against Saudi Arabia and wasted no time making his presence felt. He had already repeatedly sliced through the Saudi defense before turning home Mikel Oyarzabal's cross.
A 4-0 Fiesta for Spain in Atlanta
A full house at Atlanta Stadium was mainly filled with Spain fans who roared in celebration at the sight of Yamal emerging for the pregame warm up. The cheers were even louder as he raced away to celebrate his goal, dropping to his knees, praying and kissing the turf.
It was 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 was shut out by Cape Verde. Spain has failed to advance beyond the round of 16 since lifting the World Cup in 2010, winning just three games during that run.
Yamal's opener sparked a flurry of first-half goals. Oyarzabal, who was criticized for not touching the ball at all in the first 30 minutes against Cape Verde, not only provided the assist for Yamal but scored two more with close range strikes in the 21st and 24th minutes. So dominant was Spain's lead that De la Fuente had seen enough and took 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.
Belgium vs Iran Live at SoFi Stadium
Belgium and Iran kicked off with the score at 0-0 in the first minute at a full SoFi Stadium. Much like Iran's opener, there was a mix of cheers and boos when the Iranian anthem played, with some fans using it as a time to speak out against the current Iranian regime.
In the third minute, Romelu Lukaku was called for a yellow card for missing a cross into the box and colliding with Iranian goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand. Beiranvand was down for about three minutes getting treated before play resumed.
By the 12th minute, Belgium dominated early possession and Iran had been under heavy pressure. The score remained Belgium 0, Iran 0. In the 11th minute, Beiranvand gathered a shot that was fired directly at him.
Iran's best early chance came in the 14th minute with the score still 0-0. After living on its side of the field and defending its goal, the pro-Iran crowd gasped as a ball deflected in the box fell to Hossein Kanaani, who had a great chance to volley it home. Kanaani's shot was to the right of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, but Courtois still managed to save it.
