Mikel Oyarzabal Named Player of the Match Against Saudi Arabia

An assist and two goals in the opening 24 minutes of the match. Mikel Oyarzabal delivered a standout performance at Atlanta Stadium, helping Spain secure its first victory of the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside his teammates.

Wearing the number 21 shirt, Oyarzabal made his mark early against Saudi Arabia with a driven cross to the far post that Lamine Yamal converted to open the scoring. Moments later, he took centre stage himself, scoring Spain’s second and third goals with composed first-time finishes inside the penalty area following assists from Aymeric Laporte and Dani Olmo respectively. He came close to completing a hat-trick as well, only to see an audacious chipped effort strike the crossbar.

Remarkably, all of this came before he was substituted at half-time.

His two goals—his first of the tournament—combined with his overall influence on the match, made him the clear choice for the Player of the Match award. The honour capped another milestone for the striker, who now stands as the seventh-highest goalscorer in the history of the Spanish national team, with 27 goals in 55 appearances.