Spain bounces back from poor start with rout of Saudi Arabia, while Belgium complicates its chances after drawing with Iran

The action at the 2026 World Cup continued this Sunday with drastically contrasting outcomes for two of European soccer’s powerhouses.

In Atlanta, Spain demonstrated its dominance on the field by quickly dispatching a disappointing Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Belgium extended its run of struggles by managing only a lackluster draw against Iran, leaving its qualification hanging by a thread.

Spanish goal fest in Atlanta

After a shaky start to the tournament, La Roja took the field before more than 68,000 spectators in Atlanta with the firm conviction that they would get back on track.

With four changes to the starting lineup from their previous bitter draw, the team’s collective response was immediate, completely overwhelming the defensive strategy devised by the Saudi team’s head coach, Georgios Donis.

The Saudi defense was dismantled in a formidable first quarter-hour. Young forward Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a precise finish at the far post following a low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal.

Shortly afterward, Oyarzabal himself emerged as the star of the match by scoring a devastating brace in the span of just three minutes, capitalizing on the disorganization in the penalty area of a Saudi defense that chose to drop back too far and concede the initiative.

An own goal by defender Hassan Altambakti early in the second half sealed the final 4-0 score. Spanish head coach Luis de la Fuente took advantage of the comfortable lead to manage the workload of his key players, with an eye toward the decisive June 26 match against Uruguay in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Saudi coach acknowledged that mistakes with ball possession crushed the morale of his players, who practically gave up competing during the second half.

Belgium frustrated and political tension in Los Angeles

The picture in Group G offers a much less optimistic outlook for top-level soccer. At the stadium in Los Angeles, Belgium recorded its second consecutive match without a win with a 0-0 draw against Iran.

Rudi García’s team showed a worrying inability to break through the opponent’s deep defensive block, and even came close to defeat in the final stretch of the match after defender Nathan Ngoy received a red card in the 67th minute.

The stars of the day were goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois and Alireza Beiranvand, who were directly responsible for keeping the score at zero in a highly tense match.

With this result, the Belgian team has seriously jeopardized its hopes of advancing to the round of 16, forcing them to fight for their survival in the tournament in a do-or-die match against New Zealand on the final day of the group stage.

Beyond strictly sporting considerations, the match was steeped in an atmosphere of marked ideological tension.

In the vicinity of and within the stands of the stadium in Southern California, members of the Persian exile community noisily protested against the Iranian theocratic regime, expressing their condemnation through widespread booing during the country’s national anthem, in contrast to the respect shown to the players on the field.

(With information from AFP)