Inspired by ‌Lamine Yamal, Spain strolled to a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Group H, as Mikel Oyarzabal ⁠restored his reputation with two goals and Luis de la Fuente’s side found their groove after an underwhelming World Cup opener.

Yamal opened the scoring in the 10th minute on Sunday and Oyarzabal, ⁠who failed to register a touch in the opening half hour in Monday’s scoreless draw with Cape Verde, scored twice in quick succession as Spain had the game wrapped up by half-time.

An own goal shortly ⁠after the interval failed to reopen the floodgates, as Spain used the opportunity to make changes and rest their scorers.

De la Fuente celebrated his 65th birthday in style, and Yamal, whose only football in the last two months came as a substitute against Cape Verde, sparked life into the team that returned to Atlanta Stadium.

A huge ‌cheer greeted Yamal’s first touch, twisting and turning his marker before playing a teasing cross that was cleared by Abdulelah Al-Amri, the scorer of Saudi Arabia’s goal in their 1-1 match with Uruguay.

The opening goal came with Oyarzabal sending an inviting ball across the box, and Yamal being there to slide in at the back post and score his first World Cup goal.

Having toiled in vain in their opening game, Spain relaxed after the goal, and began to carve open the Saudi defence at will, and the second ⁠goal came from a corner.

Dani Olmo sent the ball back into the mix, and after the Saudis failed to clear it, Aymeric Laporte nodded down to Oyarzabal, who bundled the ball into the net.

Three minutes later, Spain were in again with a beautifully worked goal. Pedro Porro floated a pass into the area and the ball never ⁠touched the ground until it found the net.

Marc Cucurella’s hooked pass found Olmo, who headed into the six-yard box for Oyarzabal to tap it in on the volley, ⁠as the striker proved that given the right service, he is ⁠Spain’s man to deliver

Spain replaced Yamal and Oyarzabal for the second half, but picked up where they left off when the Saudi goalkeeper blocked Cucurella’s volley from a corner and the ball ricocheted off defender Hassan Al-Tambakti and into the net.

The European champions continued to ‌create chances, but understandably took their foot off the gas on a day when even Vozinha, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old hero keeper, would have struggled against this version of Spain, who look back to their best.

Spain ‌advance ‌to four points in the standings, while Saudi Arabia stay on one after two games each. The other teams in the group, Cape Verde and Uruguay, meet later on Sunday in Miami.

Oyarzabal said he was happy to get the win and to have given his own performance after criticism of how he played against Cape Verde.

“It’s not about proving myself. I’ve always said I feel loved by my teammates, the coach, the staff day to day. That’s what counts for me,” he told the media.

“People will talk outside. We know how the football world works, but we have to stay relaxed.”

Yamal said it was a “dream” to score in a World Cup.

“I watched the last World Cup from a classroom, so being able to score here with my mum and my family in the stands is a dream come true,” he said.

[Aljazeera]

In a contest billed as the biggest of the group stage, South Africa took a big step towards the semi-final after Marizanne Kapp led them to a six-wicket win over India. She starred with ball and then with bat, helping South Africa recover from 25 for 2 inside the powerplay to hunt down 159 and combined with Tazmin Brits, playing her first match of the tournament, to take them to a six wicket win.

Kapp and Brits put on 97 for the third wicket but their time together was not without its chances. Kapp offered two tough chances, on 9 and 25, and one simple one on 65 but finished on an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls to take South Africa home. They also nullified India’s primary threat with the ball, Deepti Sharma, taking 44 runs off her four overs.

On a fresh Old Trafford pitch and after choosing to put runs on the board, India may look back at their batting effort as the place where the match was lost. After a sparkling start, none of their line-up was able to kick on and Shafali Verma’s 31 was their top score. Kapp was crucial to the squeeze, and with 2 for 27 in four overs, was also South Africa’s most economical bowler.

The result keeps the group alive with India and South Africa both on four points.  India need to beat both Bangladesh and Australia, whereas South Africa’s remaining games are against Bangladesh and Netherlands.

In typically audacious fashion, Shafali got India’s boundary-count underway with a clip through short fine leg as Kapp strayed onto the pads. But it was when she got extra pace from Shabnim Ismail that Shafali really cashed in. She found the gap at cover point before handing over to Smriti Mandhana, who drove Ismail through the covers and then swivel-pulled her through fine leg to take 14 runs off her first over. Mandhana’s innovation continued when she walked down the track to Kapp to hit her through mid-on and then tried to ramp Kapp but played on. Inexplicably, Chloe Tryon was give the fourth over and Shafali was all over her. She took14 runs off the first three balls, used her feet well and South Africa seemed at a loss. India were 47 for 1 after four overs.

Just when it seemed Shafali had got away from them, South Africa hit a stroke of luck. Ismail had avoided bowling the bouncer to her but did with the fourth ball of her second over. Shafali considered going after it but then tried to pull out of the shot and fell over. As she refound her feet, South Africa reviewed and replays showed Shafali had gloved the ball through to Sinalo Jafta. Yastika Bhatia, picked ahead of Bharti Fulmali, was out lbw to Ayabonga Khaka’s second ball and Jemimah Rodrigues caught off a leading edge by Nadine de Klerk to leave India 82 for 4 in the 11th over.

It was now down to the experienced hands of Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti and the India captain started with a boundary against Tryon. Together they then took on Mlaba for a 12-run over before Harmanpreet required some treatment on the field. She lasted just two balls after that before chopping on against Ismail’s wobble-seam delivery for 24. South Africa strangled Richa Ghosh with their lines and forced Deepti to play a tumbling sweep for a catch to short fine leg with a packed leg-side field. Ghosh also handed a catch to short fine leg, off Kapp’s slower one in the last over, and India managed just 36 runs off the bat in the last four overs.

South Africa had a completely different start to their innings as they struggled to get India away, and their captain Laura Wolvaardt continued to struggle for fluency. She was on 20 off 19 balls when she tried to take on N Shree Charani. She hit the ball straight back to the left-arm spinner, who took a sharp return catch. Charani’s over got better when Annerie Dercksen went for a big shot almost immediately, played across the line and was bowled. The powerplay ended with a wicket-maiden and South Africa were 25 for 2, well behind the required run-rate.

South Africa were far off the pace on 45 for 2 after nine overs but had the experience of Kapp and determination of a returning Brits. Kapp took 10 runs off the first two balls of Prema Rawat’s first over, including the ramp that would become a favourite of hers through the innings. Brits bided some time before she took on Deepti and whacked her over long-on for six. Their stand grew to 50 in the 12th over, just after Brits correctly reviewed after being given out lbw on 28. Neither Brits nor Kapp allowed the chances they offered India to slow them down, even when they could not find boundaries.

Their headline moment came in the 15th over when they took 16 runs off Arundhati Reddy. Brits hit her back over her head for four, then Kapp scooped her over fine and swept her for back to back boundaries and South Africa had broken the back of the chase.

SCORES:
India Women 158/7 in 20 overs [SmritiMandhana 17, Dhafali Verma 31, Yastika Bhatia 15, Jemimah Rodrigues 12, Harmanpreet Kaur 24, Deepti Sharma 29, Richa Ghosh 15; Marizanne Kapp 2-27, Shabnim Ismail 2-28, Nonkululeko Mlaba 1-33, Ayabonga Khaka 1-31, Nadine de Klerk 1-16] lost to South Africa Women 161/4 in 19.1 overs [Laura Wolvaardt 20, Tazmin Britts 40,Mrizanne Kapp 81*, Chloe Tryon 10*;Shafali Verma 1-22, Shree Charani 3-24] by six wickets

[Cricinfo]

Belgium were held to a scoreless draw by Iran in a frustrating encounter that saw the Red Devils reduced to 10 men and facing the possibility of group-stage elimination for a second consecutive World Cup.

A star-studded, though ageing, lineup, including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, was fortunate to leave Los Angeles with a point on Sunday.

Belgium controlled possession yet ceded the game’s best chances to a resolute Iranian defence.

Iran’s Mehdi Taremi had the ball in the net from a well-worked first-half free kick that was overturned for offside by VAR, while Nathan Ngoy was sent off after the break for hauling down the striker following a badly mishit back-pass.

The result means all three games in Group G so far have ended in draws. Stuck on two points,  Belgium at least have the comfort of playing the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, New Zealand, in their final group game.

Iran will also need at least a point against Egypt next Friday. Having been frustrated by visa issues while traveling from their base camp in Mexico to play games in the United States, Team Melli will hope to focus on the football as travel restrictions are reportedly easing for their crucial trip to Seattle.

For the second Iran game running, protesters from Los Angeles’s large Iranian-American community gathered at the stadium to chant against the country’s current regime.

Inside the stadium, Iran’s anthem again drew a chorus of boos and whistles, a reception at odds with the response to the players themselves, who were loudly cheered throughout the game.

Having switched to a back five, Iran sat deep in the first half, allowing Belgium to dominate possession and play hundreds of passes around their penalty area without creating any clear-cut opportunities.

Target man Lukaku, back in the starting lineup after making an impact from the bench in Belgium’s 1-1 draw with Egypt, managed a solitary headed effort in the 36th minute, which sailed over the bar.

Iran had the first half’s two best chances, entirely against the run of play. Hossein Kanani’s low shot after a long throw was well saved by an outstretched Thibaut Courtois.

And Iran’s star striker Taremi had the ball in the net midway through the half after a cleverly worked free kick, but it was ruled offside.

The former Inter Milan man spun away from Belgium’s wall, swivelled and buried the ball, before VAR overruled the effort, to the dismay of a vocally pro-Iran crowd.

After the break, Belgium continued to huff and puff, while Taremi again nearly scored at the other end. Courtois did well to save after Kanani had flicked on a long throw to the Iran forward.

Belgium coach Rudi Garcia made a triple substitution around the hour mark, and his side immediately came close – Maxim De Cuyper’s point-blank effort from De Bruyne’s cut-back was well saved.

Substitute Hans Vanaken blasted a shot from a rebound well over the bar moments later, as the Red Devils finally began to knock on Iran’s door in earnest.

But disaster struck for Belgium as Ngoy was sent off. The centre-back had badly under-hit a pass back to Courtois and raised his arm into Taremi as the striker raced through on goal.

The game settled into a nervous, scrappy stalemate, though De Cuyper again came close with a low effort from just outside the box.

[Aljazeera]