As Spain matched up with Saudi Arabia on Sunday, 18-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal made history.
Entering the match, Spain had gone scoreless since the group stage of the 2022 World Cup, but Yamal put them on the board in the 10th minute with a historic goal off of Mikel Oyarzabal’s assist.
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The beautiful play made Yamal the second player ever to open a World Cup match with a goal, with the other being a 17-year-old Pelé for Brazil in 1958.
His terrific start lit social media on fire, with fans from around the world providing plenty of memorable reactions.
As Yamal got going early, Spain seemed to be playing at a much higher level as a team on Sunday. This became very apparent when Oyarzabal scored two goals in a three minute span after just over 20 minutes of action.
Spain dominated the possession game as the lead was pushed to 4-0 in the 49th minute when Saudi Arabia defender Hassan Al-Tambakti scored an own goal.
They may not have picked up a win in their first match last week, but Spain’s relentless play on Sunday quieted the concerns in a major way, thanks in part to the performance of their 18-year-old superstar.
James Parker is a sports writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
