Spain needed a response and they got one. After the flat opener, this was much more like it: Lamine Yamal scored, Mikel Oyarzabal took over the first half, and Saudi Arabia were beaten 4-0 before the game ever really had time to breathe.
For fantasy, the awkward bit is that the best Spain players now face Uruguay in MD3. The points are real, the performances were strong, but this is not a blind triple-up spot unless the lineups and motivation stay kind.
Here are the Demon Notes from Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia: Oyarzabal's huge first half, Yamal's goal, the defender points and what it means before Spain face Uruguay.
Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia
- Goals: Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal x2, Hassan Tambakti own goal
- Assists: Mikel Oyarzabal, Aymeric Laporte, Dani Olmo
- Top fantasy points: Mikel Oyarzabal 15, Aymeric Laporte 12, Marc Cucurella 10
- Key story: Spain scored three times inside the first 24 minutes
- Next fixtures: Spain v Uruguay, Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde Islands
Team Stats
Player Stats
| Player | Pos | Price | MD2 pts | Match stats | MD3 note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mikel Oyarzabal | FWD | £8.1m | 15 | 2 goals, 1 assist, 5 shots, 3 on target, 0.90 xG | Still strong, but Uruguay is tougher than Saudi Arabia |
| Lamine Yamal | MID | £10.0m | 7 | Goal, 5 shots, 2 on target, 0.70 xG | Elite pick if he starts, but minutes need watching |
| Aymeric Laporte | DEF | £5.5m | 12 | Assist, clean sheet, 81 accurate passes | Good score, but MD3 clean sheet is not easy |
| Marc Cucurella | DEF | £5.1m | 10 | Clean sheet, 2 shots on target, forced pressure for the own goal | Attacking role is nice, fixture is the issue |
| Dani Olmo | MID | £7.7m | 8 | Assist for Oyarzabal's second | Useful role, but not ahead of Yamal/Oyarzabal for most teams |
| Unai Simon | GK | £5.0m | 7 | Clean sheet, quiet night | Fine hold, not an obvious buy before Uruguay |
Demon Notes
- Oyarzabal (£8.1m) was the fantasy story. Two goals, an assist and 15 points from 45 minutes is brutal efficiency, and Spain looked far better with him linking the attack.
- Yamal (£10.0m) scored on his first start of the tournament and looked sharp enough in the first half. The issue is not quality. It is whether Spain manage his minutes again before the knockouts.
- Laporte (£5.5m), Cucurella (£5.1m), Pau Cubarsi (£5.0m) and Unai Simon (£5.0m) all got the clean-sheet points. That was deserved, because Saudi Arabia barely touched Spain's box.
- Cucurella is the fun defender because he keeps arriving high. He helped create the chaos for the fourth goal and gives you more than just clean-sheet hope.
- Saudi Arabia were poor going forward, but Al-Owais stopped the score getting silly. Their MD3 game against Cape Verde is more interesting than this one, but it is still hard to trust their fantasy attack.
What It Means For MD3
Spain face Uruguay next. That is a proper test, so this is not the same as buying Brazil before Scotland or Netherlands before Tunisia. Spain assets are good, but the fixture pulls the ceiling down a little.
Yamal is still the premium name. If he is expected to start, he has the quality to score against anyone. Oyarzabal is the form pick after that haul, rested after 45 minutes and should be fresh for Uruguay.
The defenders are tricky. Laporte and Cucurella have both returned well, but Uruguay carry enough threat to make a clean-sheet chase feel risky. They are better as holds than fresh buys.
Saudi Arabia get Cape Verde Islands in MD3. Salem Al Dawsari (£7.2m) is the obvious attacking name and our numbers still like him more than the rest, but after this display he is a punt, not a priority.
Verdict: Spain are back, but be picky. Yamal if he starts. Oyarzabal if the minutes look safe. Defenders are fine holds, but Uruguay makes buying them less exciting.