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Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup: La Roja’s Star Striker Hitting Top Form As Round of 32 Beckons

Subhadeep Roy · · 3 min read
Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup: La Roja’s Star Striker Hitting Top Form As Round of 32 Beckons
Spain vs Saudi Arabia – FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball 2026 – 21 06 2026 Mikel Oyarzabal of Spain celebrates his goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H match between Spain and Saudi Arabia at Atlanta Stadium on June 21, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta Georgia Copyright: xPGSxPhotoxAgencyx

The Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup star performance came to the fore in the match against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, June 21, as Oyarzabal scored a brace in his team’s 4-0 win, with La Roja expected to advance into the Round of 32 by topping Group H.

The Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup form has picked up momentum as a result of his brace on Sunday and sees La Roja pick up some steam after their goalless draw with Cape Verde in their first match.

Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup Performance: La Roja’s Forward Focal Point In The Goals

The Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup performance against Saudi Arabia consisted of two goals and an assist to Lamine Yamal for their first goal.

The Real Sociedad forward started as the focal point of La Roja’s attack but was not confined to the opposition penalty box, moving as a mobile centre-forward throughout the game.

Instead of staying in one position, Spain’s number 21 moved to the left flank, making runs behind the Saudi Arabia defensive line repeatedly.

Spain started with Alex Baena on the left flank, and he was supported by Oyarzabal’s presence, as the Spain centre-forward made the supportive runs in behind.

Oyarzabal also showed his opportunism by being in the perfect position inside the penalty box for Spain’s second and third goals, as La Roja ran riot.

Thus, the Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup star performance lifted his team and earned them a much-needed win. Luis de la Fuente’s men, who won the European Championships in 2024, are among the front-runners to win their second World Cup title this time around.

Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup: La Roja’s New Reliable Centre-Forward

Oyarzabal is now 29 and has been playing for Real Sociedad for a long time, as he has 133 goals for the club, which makes him one of the most influential players in their history.

Oyarzabal has also earned 55 caps for the Spanish national team since 2016 and has scored 27 goals for them, and he is his team’s main hope for scoring goals, with Lamine Yamal in the wings.

Yamal started for Spain against Saudi Arabia and also managed to score his first World Cup goal on the day. However, it is Oyarzabal on whom De la Fuente will be relying the most for goals.

Spain needed a striker badly after Alvaro Morata was past his prime as a player, and Oyarzabal has since stepped in nicely as Morata’s replacement for the team. He has a good aerial presence as well, which makes him a pretty complete player to lead the line.

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Spain’s Final Group Game To Confirm Top Spot In Group H

Spain will take on two-time champions Uruguay in their last group match, as La Roja are expected to win that match and top the group. Should Spain fail to top the group and finish second, it might pit them against Argentina in the Round of 16.

The Spaniards will definitely want to avoid that scenario and will want to win against Uruguay at all costs. Hence, the Mikel Oyarzabal Spain World Cup performance will become very crucial for them.

Spain will need the Real Sociedad front-man to breach the Uruguayan defence. It remains to be seen whether Oyarzabal, who scored the match-winner against England in the European Championships final in 2024, is able to help his team out again.

Subhadeep Roy

Subhadeep Roy is an experienced football writer with a particular interest in analysis of matches and club news. He follows the Premier League primarily and has been covering football for various websites since 2018.

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