Yamal and Oyarzabal sink Saudi Arabia as Egypt shake up Group G

On Sunday Spain finally remembered they were Spain. After a goalless opener against Cape Verde that had the doubters sharpening their pencils, La Roja put four past Saudi Arabia in a game that was effectively finished by the 24th minute.

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute on his first World Cup start, which made him only the second player aged 18 or under to open a World Cup match. The other was a 17-year-old named Pelé, back in 1958. No pressure, then. Mikel Oyarzabal evidently decided two and a half minutes was ample time to score twice, striking in the 21st and 24th, and Hassan Altambakti’s own goal after the break only rubbed it in. Both Yamal and Oyarzabal were hooked at half-time with the job done. Spain are through to the Round of 32 with a game to spare.

Group H: Spain into the Round of 32 with a game to spare.

Down in Group G the table got a proper shake. Egypt went a goal behind to Finn Surman’s 15th-minute header in Vancouver, then came back to beat New Zealand 3-1 for their first World Cup win ever. Mostafa “Zico” levelled it on 58 minutes, Mohamed Salah put them ahead on 67, and a late Trezeguet header sealed it. Egypt now sit top of the section, which is not a sentence anyone wrote in a preview.

Belgium, meanwhile, keep finding fresh ways to underwhelm. They drew 0-0 with Iran in Los Angeles, a job made harder by Nathan Ngoy, who miscontrolled a pass back, let Mehdi Taremi in, and then hauled him down for a straight red on 66 minutes. Even a man up, Iran could not find a goal, so Rudi Garcia’s Red Devils trudge off on two points, level with Iran and looking nothing like a side that fancies the latter rounds.

See how Groups G and H stack up now on the live table.

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