TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Spain boosted their chances of reaching the knockout stage of the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Group H, while Belgium were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Iran in Group G on Sunday and Monday respectively.
Spain climbed to the top of Group H with four points from two matches, while Belgium remained winless after two games and sit behind group leaders Iran on goal difference.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
Spain secured their first victory of the tournament in emphatic fashion at Atlanta Stadium, with Brian Brobbey and Cody Gakpo each scoring twice as La Roja overwhelmed Saudi Arabia.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute, converting Mikel Oyarzabal’s low cross from close range to register his first World Cup goal.
Oyarzabal doubled Spain’s lead in the 21st minute after Aymeric Laporte headed a corner back into the danger area. The Real Sociedad forward then struck again three minutes later, finishing a move involving Marc Cucurella and Dani Olmo to make it 3-0.
As reported by FIFA, Spain continued their dominance after halftime and extended the lead in the 49th minute when Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tombakti turned the ball into his own net.
The four-goal cushion allowed Spain to comfortably control possession for the remainder of the match. Saudi Arabia struggled to create meaningful opportunities and failed to seriously test goalkeeper Unai Simon.
The victory leaves Luis de la Fuente’s side in a strong position heading into their final group-stage fixture.
Starting Lineups
Spain (4-1-2-3): Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri (captain); Pedri, Alex Baena; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal.
Saudi Arabia (5-3-2): Mohammed Al-Owais; Saud Abdulhamid, Hassan Al-Tombakti, Ali Lajami, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Moteb Al-Harbi; Nasser Al-Dawsari, Abdullah Al-Khaibari, Musab Al-Juwayr; Feras Al-Buraikan, Salem Al-Dawsari (captain).
Belgium 0-0 Iran
Belgium's struggles continued in Group G after they were held to a goalless draw by Iran at Los Angeles Stadium.
Rudi Garcia’s side controlled possession throughout the contest and dominated the early stages, but they failed to convert their superiority into goals.
Iran thought they had taken the lead in the 25th minute when Mehdi Taremi beat Thibaut Courtois after receiving a pass from Ehsan Hajsafi. However, VAR ruled the striker offside and the goal was disallowed.
Belgium relied heavily on Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans to unlock Iran’s disciplined defense, but goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand produced a series of impressive saves to keep the score level.
The match swung further in Iran’s favor in the 66th minute when Belgian defender Nathan Ngoy was sent off for fouling Taremi as the striker raced through on goal.
With a numerical advantage, Iran pushed forward more aggressively, but Courtois responded with several key interventions to preserve the clean sheet.
Beiranvand emerged as Iran’s standout performer, recording seven saves as the Asian side earned a valuable point and remained unbeaten after two matches.
The result leaves Iran top of Group G with two points, level with Belgium but ahead on goal difference.
Starting Lineups
Belgium (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Thomas Meunier, Brandon Mechele, Nathan Ngoy, Maxim De Cuyper; Youri Tielemans, Nicolas Raskin; Alexis Saelemaekers, Kevin De Bruyne, Leandro Trossard; Romelu Lukaku.
Iran (5-4-1): Alireza Beiranvand; Saleh Hardani, Hossein Kanaani, Shoja Khalilzadeh, Ali Nemati, Ehsan Hajsafi; Mohammad Mohebbi, Saeid Ezatolahi, Saman Ghoddos, Ramin Rezaeian; Mehdi Taremi.
Read: 2026 World Cup: Germany Advances to Round of 32
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