When Luis de la Fuente named his team for Spain’s second 2026 World Cup game against Saudi Arabia, all eyes naturally turned to the return of Lamine Yamal, who was finally given a nod to start for La Roja after battling a two-month hamstring issue.
Stung by the intense media backlash of an opening 0-0 stalemate with Cabo Verde, Spain desperately needed a performance that combined possession with immediate purpose.
And they got in in style, thrashing the Middle East nation 4-0 to wipe the bitter taste of their opening result off their mouths, with Yamal actually scoring the opening goal for the Spaniards.
Although he naturally grabbed the headlines before being subbed off at half-time, he certainly might never have made the same impact without Mikel Oyazarbal really controlling proceedings as a false number nine, a role that has made him so productive for Spain in recent years.
Spain created a devastating attacking trap that Saudi Arabia simply could not parse.
How Oyarzabal Dismantled Saudi Arabia's Defensive Shape
Against Cabo Verde, Spain’s frontline looked dangerously stagnant, failing to manipulate deep defensive shapes. Oyazabarl, who actually started the opening game, was part of the problem, as he failed to register a single touch of the ball during the first 30 minutes of game.
The game's decisive opening goal by Yamal just showcased how Oyazabarl made everything around him tick.
After Rodri won the ball back from the header, Oyazarbal dropped deep to receive it before squaring it to Gavi, dragging one of the defenders out of position.
Immediately after, he moved to attack the channel vacated, before meeting Gavi’s return ball near the byline, and delivered a low cross across the face of goal toward Yamal at the back post, who tapped it home first-time.
Oyazabarl just did not stop there. The Real Sociedad captain was hungry for more, and soon afterwards, he netted his first of two goals.
His first strike came from basic predatory placement, cleaning up an Aymeric Laporte knockdown inside a chaotic corner-kick scrum. His second, just two minutes later, was pure aesthetic perfection.
With full-backs Pedro Porro and Marc Cucurella pushed incredibly high, the ball moved cleanly through the air from full-back to full-back before Dani Olmo nodded it into Oyarzabal’s path.
He finished the sequence without letting the ball hit the grass—a sequence that showcased a striker completely in tune with his team's positional overloads.
The Lamine Yamal Awakening: Freedom Through Structural Security
With Oyarzabal effectively anchoring the central defenders and stretching the pitch horizontally, Lamine Yamal was handed the freedom to put on a show.
After failing to make an impact off the bench during the opening game, the young winger looked remarkably more robust than his breakout campaign at Euro 2024.
Within just 30 seconds of the opening whistle, he gave Saudi Arabia a terrifying preview of his afternoon.
Yamal, who was pinned by three defenders out wide, managed to feign an inside cut, executed a sharp Cruyff turn down the line, and used his upper-body strength to shrug a defender completely to the turf.
Yamal’s Commitment off The Ball
What makes Yamal so important for any side he plays for is not just his ability to manipulate isolated 1v1 situations, but because of his work rate.
Just before the interval, as Saudi Arabia attempted to launch a dangerous transition through Salem al-Dawsari, Yamal tracked back with an incredible 60-yard defensive sprint to break up the play.
It was a moment that perfectly mirrored his post-game social media message: "I'm here."
What Young Players Can Learn From This Combination
For academy coaches and developing wingers analysing this structural masterpiece, the tactical takeaways offer a blueprint for elite final-third execution:
Weak-Side Blind Arrivals: Watching how Yamal deliberately delays his runs into the penalty box, allowing Oyarzabal's vertical movement to entirely clear out the far-post zone.
Decoy Runs as an Attacking Trigger: Analyzing Oyarzabal’s lateral movement to understand how an elite forward creates passing lanes for others by running away from the ball.
