No Yamal? But we have Oyarzabal! The Invincible Armada Spain crushes Peru 3-1... As expected, a World Cup "title contender."

*This content was translated by AI.

The "title contender" Spain secured a victory in its final pre-tournament friendly ahead of the group stage of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup.

Ranked second in the FIFA rankings, Spain defeated Peru (ranked 51st) 3-1 in a friendly match held on the 9th (Korea time) at Estadio Cuauhtémoc in Puebla, Mexico.

In the World Cup group stage, Spain is set to face Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, and Uruguay in Group H. The team concluded its two final mock matches held in June with one win and one draw. In the previous friendly, Spain drew 1-1 with Iraq.

Key injured players were absent from Spain's lineup today. Lamine Yamal, the "18-year-old prodigy" suffering from a hamstring injury, Nico Williams, who has a muscle injury, and Victor Muñoz, who is dealing with thigh pain, were all excluded from the match roster. Instead of traveling to Mexico, they remained at the national team's base camp in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S., focusing on rehabilitation. In particular, Yamal, who suffered a hamstring injury during a match for his club Barcelona in April and had to end his season early, is making every effort to recover for his first-ever World Cup stage.

Spain seized the initiative early. In the second minute of the first half, Mikel Oyarzabal fired a left-footed mid-range shot from directly in front of the penalty area, sending the ball into the net for the opening goal.

Then, in the 32nd minute of the first half, Pedri, who rushed toward the goal from a cross delivered by Ferran Torres from the right, scored an additional goal with a left-footed push.

In the eighth minute of the second half, a stroke of luck led to another goal. Jeremías Pino delivered a cross from the right side of the penalty area, which Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese attempted to block, but the ball deflected and resulted in an own goal.

Trailing 0-3, Peru managed to avoid a winless record when Hayro Velasquez broke through Spain's defense in the 21st minute of the second half and scored with a left-footed shot.

After the match, Spain's "AS" praised its national team, stating, "Spain showed explosive performance even without Yamal."

Regarding Oyarzabal, who scored the opening goal, the report noted, "He has already demonstrated peak form with 11 goals and six assists in his previous 10 A-match appearances, and he delivered another decisive performance in his 11th international match."

It further added, "It was a true striker's display, clearly proving what kind of player he is. Oyarzabal showed exceptional movement both on the ball and off the ball, regardless of possession. Additionally, through fantastic link-up play with Pedri, he nearly scored another goal and threatened the opposing defense throughout the match."

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*This content was translated by AI.