Lamine Yamal shares injury news after being taken off early in the Saudi Arabia win
Lamine Yamal has shared why he was taken off early during Spain’s 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. After a tough start to their 2026 World Cup journey, the Euro 2024 champions bounced back with a strong win on Sunday afternoon.
Spain couldn’t score against Cape Verde in their first game, but they came back and scored four goals to secure the win in their second match, almost guaranteeing a spot in the knockout rounds. Yamal, who returned to the starting lineup, scored the first goal. Mikel Oyarzabal also had a great game, scoring two goals, and the last one came from Saudi Arabia defender Hassan Altambakti.
Even though Yamal was one of the best players in the first half, he was taken off early at halftime. Since he was just coming back from a hamstring injury, many fans worried he might have hurt himself again. But the 18-year-old cleared things up and said that the substitution was planned from the start.
“It was the plan to play half the game and then rest, but mainly to help the team,” Yamal said. With Spain already up by three goals at halftime, it made sense for coach Luis de la Fuente to take Yamal and Oyarzabal off so they’d be fresh for the last group game against Uruguay.
The win was the biggest news, but Yamal also hit a huge personal milestone by scoring in his first World Cup start. “It’s been very special. I’ve always dreamed of playing in a World Cup, and to score in my first game as a starter is like a dream,” he shared. “I even watched the last World Cup in school, and being able to score here with my mom and family watching is amazing.”
At 18 years and 343 days old, Yamal is now one of the youngest World Cup goalscorers in history. His goal puts him 7th on the all-time list, just ahead of Lionel Messi. Pele holds the record as the youngest, scoring at 17 years and 239 days.
When asked what motivated Spain’s strong win, Yamal said, “The first game wasn’t like us — it was different. But now we’re here and ready for more. Drawing a game we knew we had to win was tough. It made us think a lot and prepared us for this match just the way we wanted.”