Show Caption
Lamine Yamal got the start against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, June 21, scored a goal, and then exited the World Cup match at halftime.Yamal came off the bench in Spain's opener against Cape Verde, his first appearance since suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in April.The 18-year-old could not prevent Spain from a shocking 0-0 draw against the Blue Sharks, but he was instrumental against Saudi Arabia, scoring the opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.After Yamal's goal, Mikel Oyarzabal scored a first-half brace to give Spain a comfortable 3-0 lead.Spain coach Luis de la Fuente opted to take both Yamal and Oyarzabal off at the break with La Roja holding a big advantage.La Roja scored once more in the second half to secure a 4-0 win.Why was Yamal subbed off at halftime?It isn't fully clear why the teenage star was taken off, but he didn't appear to suffer any kind of injury issue in the first half.It's more likely that he was rested due to Spain's big lead and being short of match fitness.Yamal played the final 20 minutes against Cape Verde, and saw his playing time increase to 45 minutes against Saudi Arabia.Spain will close out group play against Uruguay on Friday, June 26 at Estadio Akron outside Guadalajara.
