In his debut, 30 minutes with zero touches, Oyarzabal turned his frustration into a 44 year record in just 24 minutes.

Mikel Oyarzabal's World Cup debut: zero touches in the first 30 minutes.

A starting winger stood on the World Cup pitch for half an hour without the ball ever touching his foot. Such stats usually belong to a defensive midfielder, or a player completely swallowed by the tactical system.

Six days later, he repaid that debt with interest in 24 minutes.

Two goals and one assist. He set up Yamal in the 10th minute, then scored two himself in the 21st and 24th minutes. The last time someone produced such numbers in the first 25 minutes of a single World Cup match was in 1982. Hungarian László Fazekas, in the 10-1 demolition of El Salvador, contributed one goal and two assists in the first 25 minutes, also involved in three goals. That was 44 years ago, in the era of black-and-white television. Oyarzabal became the second.

Don't call it a genius awakening. Oyarzabal took the frustration of being invisible on the pitch and smashed it right into the faces of the Saudi defenders.

24 minutes, 3-0. Spain had never started a World Cup match so violently.

The last time someone did something similar at a World Cup was in 1974, when Yugoslavia scored three goals in 18 minutes against Zaire. In the 21st century, a match with three goals in the first 25 minutes had only happened once before—the 2014 semi-final between Germany and Brazil. Spain became the second.

In the 10th minute, Yamal curled a shot into the net for his first World Cup goal. Before the match, Saudi fans in the stands shouted, "Where is Yamal?"—you could hear the provocation in their tone. After the match, Yamal posted a video on social media, firing back at those who taunted him. This is the post-match press conference of the social media era: no reporters, no editors, just a direct rebuttal.

That curling shot was aimed at the provocation in the stands. Once Pedri's drop-back completely tore apart Saudi Arabia's compact defense—he dropped into midfield to receive the ball, threaded a pass through the gap between the midfield and defensive lines, where Olmo was lurking—Oyarzaval struck twice. Three goals in 24 minutes, and the match was effectively over.

The remaining 66 minutes were pure garbage time. In the second half, Saudi defender Hassan Al-Tambakti added an own goal to make it 4-0. Calling it icing on the cake would be generous; it was kicking someone when they're down.

On June 15, Spain played Cape Verde to a 0-0 draw. Cape Verde is an island nation with a population of about 540,000. Spain entered their World Cup opener with a 30-match unbeaten streak, took 27 shots, had 74% possession, but were kept out by 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha's seven saves, and Ferran hit the woodwork. The unbeaten streak was easily extended, but their pride was shattered—Spanish media tore into them, and Germany's Bild joined in, using the word "shameful." A World Cup group stage match turned into a PR crisis.

Head coach Luis de la Fuente turned 65 on June 21. Before receiving his gift, his situation was clear: the team carried an unbeaten aura but delivered a performance that made the opponent's population seem too small to fill a Bernabéu. The pressure wasn't on the points; it was on the narrative. He had to respond, to slap back at those waiting to laugh at them.

The 4-0 was the response. De la Fuente said after the match that Oyarzabal's influence was "enormous." That was an understatement. A more accurate description: this man turned a PR disaster about to hit the headlines into a birthday party.

De la Fuente adjusted Pedri's position. He moved him from an advanced role to central midfield, partnering with Rodri, and replaced Fabián with Dani Olmo. The logic was straightforward: Saudi Arabia deployed a compact defense that couldn't be broken by wide crosses, so the solution was to accelerate penetration through the middle. After dropping deeper, Pedri had more space to receive the ball, and his through balls could slip through the gaps between Saudi Arabia's midfield and defensive lines. Olmo was precisely lurking in those gaps, his runs disrupting Saudi Arabia's defensive chain. Their five-man backline was torn apart.

Spain had 17 shots in the first half, the highest by any team in a single half at this World Cup. What does 17 shots mean? The opponent barely got out of their own half.

Saudi coach Georgios Donis admitted after the match that Spain was "too strong" and that conceding early was the key to their collapse. That was accurate, but it was all he could say. He had only been in charge for just over two months; molding a team to withstand Spain's level of pressure was an impossible task.

You might remember what Saudi Arabia did at the 2022 World Cup—they stunned Argentina. That match remains one of the most shocking upsets in World Cup history. But football shows no mercy; a miracle from four years ago can't serve as today's bulletproof vest. This time, they faced Spain, who gave them no room for fantasy.

When Oyarzabal was asked after the match about the records—the first since 1982, the fastest in team history—his reaction was subdued. He offered a few team-first clichés into the microphone.

A man who had zero touches in his debut 30 minutes wouldn't suddenly care about numbers six days later. What mattered to him was proving he still deserved to wear the shirt.

Yamal took the headlines; Oyarzabal took the match. The unbeaten streak continued, and top spot in the group was secured.

Six days later, a record untouched for 44 years was shattered by a Basque named Oyarzabal. And on his debut day, his World Cup stat sheet showed zero touches.