Lamine Yamal gives injury update after early substitution during Saudi Arabia win
Lamine Yamal has explained why he was taken off early during Spain's 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Following a disappointing start to their 2026 World Cup campaign, Euro 2024 champions Spain bounced back with a dominant win over Saudi Arabia on Sunday afternoon.
After failing to find the back of the net against Cape Verde in their opening fixture, Spain scored four goals to secure the three points in their second match, all but confirming their place in the knockout stages.
Superstar Yamal found the opening goal in the fixture upon his return to the starting lineup, while Mikel Oyarzabal bounced back from a disappointing performance against Cape Verde as he scored two with the final goal coming off of Saudi Arabia defender Hassan Altambakti.
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However, it wasn't all good news during the match as, despite being arguably the standout player of the opening 45 minutes, Yamal was taken off early at half-time.
Given the fact he had just come back into the starting lineup following a hamstring injury, the substitution caused concerns among fans who feared he may have aggravated the injury.
But, the 18-year-old has now spoken out to alleviate these fears and confirm that the substitution was planned ahead of the match.
“It was the plan, to go out for half a part and be able to rest, but above all to help the team," Yamal explained.
With Spain already three goals up at the break, it makes sense that Spain boss Luis de la Fuente decided to take both Yamal and Oyarzabal off to ensure that both of his star players are available for their final group stage fixture against Uruguay.
Lamine Yamal reflects on achieving 'special' World Cup dream
Although securing the win will of course be the biggest takeaway from the match for Yamal, he also achieved a massive personal milestone that few players have done as he scored a goal in his first World Cup start.
"It has been very special, I have always dreamed of being in a World Cup and to be able to score in a first match as a starter is a dream," Yamal admitted.
"The other World Cup I watched in class and to be able to score here with my mother and my family watching is a dream."
Yamal was 18 years and 343 days old when he scored the opener against Saudi Arabia, placing him in the top ten youngest goalscorers in World Cup history.
His goal against places him in at 7th on the all-time list, just ahead of Lionel Messi, while Pele claims the top spot after netting for the first time at the World Cup at just 17 years and 239 days.
When asked what had inspired such a commanding win for Spain, Yamal added: "The first game was something that wasn't us, it was different, but already we have arrived and we are going for more.
"To draw a match that we know you have to win stings us, it has made us think a lot, to arrive at this match as we wanted."
Topics: Lamine Yamal, FIFA World Cup, Football, Spain, Football World Cup
Ben McCrum