Lamine Yamal reacts after first World Cup goal in Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia: ‘A dream come true’

Lamine Yamal reacts after first World Cup goal in Spain 4-0 Saudi Arabia: ‘A dream come true’ FC Barcelona rising superstar Lamine Yamal made his World Cup debut today when he started for the Spain national team against Saudi Arabia. And, the 18-year-old winger made immediate impact, breaking the deadlock just ten minutes into the game to put La Roja in front. Two more goals from Mikel Oyarzabal in the first half and a second-half strike from Real Madrid new signing Marc Cucurella secured a handsome victory for Luis de la Fuente & co. Lamine Yamal elated after World Cup debut Lamine Yamal, who emulated football great Pele by becoming only the second player aged 18 or under to open the scoring for his team at a World Cup, was delighted with his World Cup debut. “It’s very special, I’ve always dreamed of being in a World Cup, and to be able to score in my first match is a dream come true. I watched the other World Cup in class,” he said, speaking after the game, as quoted by AS . Off the mark at the World Cup. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Spain’s performance was overall much better than their opening game against Cape Verde, which ended in a draw. “It wasn’t us, that game was different,” said Lamine, referring to their World Cup opener, during which he only played a small cameo. The teenager admitted that the entire squad was fired up heading into the game after the poor result in the first match. “It’s normal, you have to win. It stings,” he noted. “We were clear about the plan – to go on the attack. We all had that in mind.” On starting and his half-time substitution Talking about his return to the starting lineup today, the Barcelona wonderkid added: “We have a very good relationship with De la Fuente. I told him I was ready to play, I’m ready for Spain.” However, with the game pretty much in the bag at half-time, De la Fuente opted to replace Lamine Yamal at kickoff in the second period. Reflecting on his half-time substitution, the Barcelona superstar remarked: “It depends on the game. In the end it went as we wanted and I could rest.” Lamine was taken off at half-time. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) Regarding the performance of Oyarzabal, who scored a brace and grabbed an assist, earning him the MVP award, Lamine said: “Very happy, and for Oyarzabal, who deserves it. Especially after winning.” The youngster highlighted the quality of this Spain team, saying: “Rodri is a Ballon d’Or winner, Pedri is, for me, the best midfielder in the world, we have Nico, Olmo, Oyarzabal… “They’re all very good. If I can help in any way, that’s what I’ll be here for. We’re world-class players, that’s why we’re favourites.” Regarding his own performance and the magical touches he produced on the field, Lamine humbly said: “I hadn’t played for a long time, hadn’t been on the pitch. Let’s go for Uruguay.”