Lamine Yamal Makes History as Eighth-Youngest Goalscorer in FIFA World Cup
Historic Achievement for Spain's Young Star
Atlanta [US], June 22: Lamine Yamal, the 18-year-old prodigy from Spain, has reached a remarkable milestone by becoming the eighth-youngest player to score in FIFA World Cup history. This achievement came during Spain's impressive 4-0 win against Saudi Arabia in their Group H match on Sunday (local time), as reported by Opta.
Yamal opened the scoring just 10 minutes into the match, marking his name in the record books at the age of 18 years and 343 days. This goal places him just 14 days younger than Argentine football legend Lionel Messi, who netted his first World Cup goal at 18 years and 357 days, according to ESPN.
Additionally, Yamal's goal made him only the second player under 18 to score first for his nation in a World Cup match, following the legendary Pele, who achieved this feat at 17 during the 1958 tournament.
This milestone came as Spain showcased a dominant performance, rebounding from a previous goalless draw against Cape Verde. From the outset, Spain controlled the game, and Yamal's early goal set the tone for the match.
After receiving a pass from Oyarzabal, Yamal calmly finished from close range, giving Spain an early lead. The team continued to assert their dominance, with Oyarzabal doubling the score in the 21st minute, reacting quickly to slot home another goal.
Just three minutes later, Oyarzabal struck again, capitalizing on a clever touch from Dani Olmo to extend Spain's lead to 3-0. Saudi Arabia struggled to contain the relentless Spanish attack, with Oyarzabal nearly completing a hat-trick before halftime, hitting the crossbar.
Spain effectively sealed the match early in the second half when a deflected effort from Marc Cucurella resulted in an own goal by Saudi defender Hassan Altambakti, making it 4-0.
With a comfortable lead, Spain managed the game, making substitutions to rest key players while Saudi Arabia rarely threatened, leaving goalkeeper Unai Simon with little to do.
Although Ferran Torres thought he had scored a fifth goal in stoppage time, VAR ruled it out for offside. Nonetheless, Spain's convincing 4-0 victory puts them at the top of Group H with four points from two matches, followed by Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cabo Verde.