Lamine Yamal has expressed feelings akin to those of comic book heroes like Superman or Spider-Man, and fans in Spain are beginning to wonder if he truly embodies such extraordinary prowess. The talented teenager continues to impress, scoring yet another remarkable goal just six minutes into his third consecutive match. Spain celebrated their return to the World Cup with a 3-1 victory over Czechia in Oviedo, edging closer to the Nations League quarter-finals. Spain’s head coach, Luis de la Fuente, succinctly remarked, “Lamine Yamal is on track to become a legend.”
The match seemed to be decided by halftime, with Spain leading 2-0 thanks to a second goal from Rodrigo Hernandez. After Yamal’s substitution, it appeared as if his contribution had concluded, but the game took an unexpected turn. Czechia, showing significant improvement in the second half, managed to score through Jiri Slama in the 69th minute. Their hopes for an equalizer were dashed when referee Vassilis Fotias controversially disallowed a goal by Ryan Naderi, citing a foul on Robin Le Normand during the preceding free-kick.
After Czechia was reduced to ten players, they remained aggrieved, but Spain sealed the match two minutes before the end with a goal from Mikel Merino. This was Spain’s first appearance at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium in over a decade, and they departed to applause, celebrated as World and European champions once again. The evening commenced with a presentation of the World Cup to Rodri by former players Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, both esteemed academy graduates of Real Oviedo, and concluded with an intensity that was surprisingly familiar.
Lamine Yamal demonstrated his scoring prowess by finding the net within just 104 seconds at Wembley and 70 seconds in Seville during previous matches against England and Croatia. Interestingly, he nearly scored even earlier in Oviedo, almost capitalizing on a mistake from the goalkeeper within the first 15 seconds. However, his moment arrived in the sixth minute when he combined with Dani Olmo to curl a stunning shot into the far corner of the net, eliciting an ecstatic reaction from the crowd.
Spain maintained control throughout the match, accumulating chances and dominating possession with 70% by halftime, during which they had taken 13 shots compared to just one from Czechia. They extended their lead in the 32nd minute when Rodri, usually content to facilitate play, embarked on a rare run and set up Pedri to score with a precise shot into the net.
Following Yamal’s assist to Alex Baena, who was denied by Kinsky, and a near miss from Yamal himself, both players were substituted at halftime, leaving the field after impactful performances. However, the game was far from over. Czechia aimed to mount a comeback and reduced Spain’s lead with twenty minutes remaining when Jiri Slama found the net after a well-coordinated build-up.
A critical error from Spain’s goalkeeper, David Raya, almost allowed Czechia to equalize, as a misplaced pass nearly fell into the hands of Ondrej Lingr. Fortunately for Spain, Lingr’s subsequent shot veered wide of an open goal. The drama escalated when the referee ruled out a goal by Ryan Naderi, despite the ball having crossed the line after a scramble in the box following a long cross that had been headed towards goal. With tensions mounting, Czechia faced further disappointment when Krejci was sent off, and Victor Munoz, after a promising run into the area, was thwarted by Kinsky, paving the way for Merino to cap off the evening with a late goal.
