Yamal passes Messi in record books as Spain thrash Saudi Arabia; Belgium's drought hits 406 minutes

Lamine Yamal etched his name into World Cup history on Day 11 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the eighth-youngest scorer in the tournament’s history at 18 years and 343 days — nudging Lionel Messi off that spot — as Spain dismantled Saudi Arabia to extend their unbeaten run to 32 matches.

Mikel Oyarzabal was the architect of the rout, scoring twice and adding an assist inside the opening 25 minutes to become only the second player on record — since 1966 — to score or assist three goals in the first 25 minutes of a World Cup match. The other was Hungary’s László Fazekas against El Salvador in 1982. Spain have now won or drawn all 22 matches in which Yamal has started, and the reigning champions are fielding two teenagers — Yamal and defender Pau Cubarsí — for the third time in their last five World Cup group-stage games.

Belgium’s tournament, by contrast, is threatening to collapse entirely. A goalless draw with Iran stretched their scoreless run to 406 minutes of World Cup football, across 69 shots without a goal since Michy Batshuayi scored against Canada in 2022. Belgium registered 23 shots against Iran — their most in a World Cup game without scoring since a 1994 group match against Saudi Arabia, when they managed 28. Defender Nathan Ngoy’s red card compounded the misery, the eighth dismissal of this tournament alone — matching the combined total from the previous two World Cups. Iran’s starting XI, with an average age of 32 years and 181 days, was the oldest fielded at a World Cup since OPTA began tracking in 1966.

In the day’s most charming subplot, Cape Verde gave Uruguay a genuine scare. The debutants scored their first-ever World Cup goal — a direct free kick, the first time a nation has opened their World Cup account that way since at least 1966 — before Uruguay eventually pulled clear. Maxi Araújo became the first Uruguay player to both score and assist in the same World Cup match since Juan Mugica against Israel in 1970, and the first to be involved in three goals across Uruguay’s opening two matches since records began. Darwin Núñez, meanwhile, remains goalless in his last 15 appearances for Uruguay, his most recent strike dating to Copa América in June 2024.

The match also produced a statistical curiosity: goalkeepers Fernando Muslera (40 years and 5 days) and Cape Verde’s Vozinha (40 years and 18 days) became the first pair of over-40 players to start the same World Cup match. The fixture also featured the lowest combined population — 3.9 million — of any group-stage game at the 2026 tournament.