Spain reignited their World Cup campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia on Sunday, while debutants Cape Verde continued their impressive run by holding Uruguay to another memorable draw.
The European champions were eager to respond after a surprise 0-0 stalemate against Cape Verde in their opening match last week, when their attack struggled to find a breakthrough.
With teenage sensation Lamine Yamal making his first start in two months after recovering from a hamstring injury, Spain came out aggressively and quickly overwhelmed Saudi Arabia.
Yamal opened the scoring, before Mikel Oyarzabal added a quick brace to put Spain 3-0 ahead inside 24 minutes.
Spain added a fourth goal in the 49th minute when Marc Cucurella’s shot was saved by Saudi goalkeeper Mohammed al-Owais and deflected into the net off defender Hassan al-Tambakti.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his squad had been fueled by criticism of their opening performance.
“When someone questions your work, it is only human that anyone with courage and pride reacts to prove people wrong,” de la Fuente said.
The win leaves Spain top of Group H with four points from two matches.
Cape Verde followed up their draw with Spain by earning another point in an entertaining 2-2 draw with Uruguay in Miami.
Cape Verde coach Bubista had promised before the match that his team would play “without fear” against the South Americans.
The men from the tiny Atlantic Ocean archipelago lived up to that promise, taking the lead through a brilliant Kevin Pina free kick in the 21st minute.
Maxi Araujo and Agustin Canobbio appeared to have rescued Uruguay after scoring late in the first half to make it 2-1 for the two-time World Cup winners.
However, Cape Verde refused to surrender and equalized in the 61st minute through Helio Varela, after Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera rushed off his line and was caught out of position.
Cape Verde coach Bubista said his team are now dreaming of a place in the knockout rounds, a scenario that would have been unthinkable before the tournament began.
“We want to show the entire world that we are in a position to fight for qualification, and I think that is what we showed today,” Bubista said.
Belgium are still searching for their first win after being held to a 0-0 draw by Iran in Group G.
The Red Devils, who also drew with Egypt in their opening game, finished the match in Los Angeles with 10 men and struggled to break down a disciplined Iranian side despite dominating possession.
For the second consecutive match, protesters from Los Angeles’ large Iranian diaspora gathered outside the stadium to chant against the country’s government.
Inside the stadium, Iran’s anthem again drew boos and whistles, a reaction that contrasted with the reception for the players, who were loudly cheered.
Iran’s Mehdi Taremi had a goal ruled out by VAR after a clever first-half free kick, while Belgium’s Nathan Ngoy was sent off in the second half for pulling down the striker after a miscontrolled backpass.
Belgium now have two points from two games and will target a strong win against New Zealand in Vancouver on Friday as they look to overtake Egypt for top spot.
Egypt moved to the top of the group after coming from behind to secure a 3-1 win over New Zealand, their first World Cup victory in history.
Mohamed Salah, Mostafa Zico and Trezeguet scored for Egypt after Finn Surman had given New Zealand an early lead.
“It’s incredible, I don’t know how to express it in words,” Salah said. “It’s a great achievement for all the players, and hopefully we can make history and qualify first.”
