Matchday 2: Spain Depends on Lamine Yamal, Belgium Needs Kevin De Bruyne

Big day of World Cup games today, isn't it? With everything all squared up in Group G , Belgium start the day facing off against Iran with the Red Devils knowing there will be work to do to wrap up top spot in the standings. United States men's national team fans, this might be a group to keep an eye on, by the way. Take nothing for granted in your round of 32 match, but navigate that and you could find yourself up against the top-finishing side from Belgium, Iran, New Zealand and Egypt, the latter two facing off in the other game on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Group H is similarly balanced. Will Uruguay feel that they fluffed their lines in failing to punish Spain for their draw against Cabo Verde? While knowing that the tournament debutants have proven themselves a tough nut to crack, Marcelo Bielsa will certainly be targeting enough goals that his side might go into the final game against the European champions with a goal difference advantage. As for Spain, they're up against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, intent on proving that their opener was an aberration.

Were Spain's difficulties replicable?

Of course, it didn't feel like Spain's 0-0 draw with Cabo Verde was that out of the ordinary. Yes, this team has just won major international honors, but this game felt in the mould of plenty of other recent matches involving a La Roja who were anything but Furia. Think back to the 2022 World Cup when Luis Enrique's side had all the ball without creating the sheer volume of chances to beat Morocco or even draw with Japan. Three and a half years down the road, I think we can safely say the issue wasn't the coach.

Nor is it likely Luis de la Fuente who is the issue, given how his attack sparkled through Euro 2024. It is the players. Admittedly, the boss didn't ease the situation with his selection, but there is only so much to do when your country produces such a particular type of skillset. There are hundreds of equivalents to the Gavi, Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal front three that Spain rolled out against Cabo Verde. Most of their qualities are best expressed moving towards the ball, dropping off the frontline and patiently building attacks.

What made Spain so devastating two years ago is how they combined those qualities in their midfield -- which does also include Pedri firing lasers -- with the explosive give-and-go of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams. Both were missing through hamstring injuries, and when the former came on the pitch it was immediately apparent how much verve and purpose an even rusty Yamal gives to Spain.

In his 19-minute cameo, he attempted six passes to a teammate in the penalty area. Across the whole 90 only Rodri and Pedri, both of whom tried seven, attempted more than Barcelona's star player. He was the guy who took some of Spain's 537 touches in the final third, more than any other team in any game at this World Cup or the last, and upped the proportion that were in the danger zone. More Yamal means more blue and green dots in those expanses of dangerous but often vacant space.

Here's the thing, though. Spain aren't going to get the full 90 from Yamal for a while yet. As he himself said on Friday, "it isn't the moment to play a full game, but I'll play the minutes the boss wants." Given Williams didn't feature until the 87th minute in the opener, there might only be Victor Munoz, a 22-year-old with two caps, to add some running power against Saudi Arabia. This game could go in a very similar fashion with Spain's opposition camping in their penalty area and challenging them to find a pass.

The same process does not mean the same result. Cabo Verde defended as well as any low block has in recent World Cup history. They really did restrict Spanish access to the penalty area, intercepting a great deal of passes and organising themselves to funnel crosses in the direction of their center backs. This team was brilliant. They still gave up 27 shots worth 2.1 expected goals. There is a reason why goalkeeper Vozinha has emerged as the hero of the day. Even for all the excellence of those ahead of him, the 40-year-old still had to make seven saves, including a stunning early block on Pedri that would have changed the course of the game if it had gone in.

That's the thing with all the control and all the territory that Spain had. Even if your last pass isn't what it might be, when you're hanging around the goal for that long, the ball is probably going to break your way once or twice. The same will be true against Saudi Arabia, with or without Yamal. Spain will be fine.

Can De Bruyne still revive faltering Belgium?

It has been a tournament where several of the grand old veterans of the world stage have shown up, but when Belgium so needed him to turn the tide against Egypt, wasn't Kevin De Bruyne curiously insubstantial? Not bad per se, the Napoli man put up four shots worth 0.27 xG and created a couple of shooting opportunities for Leandro Trossard. The best of those shots cracked against the post of Mostafa Shobeir off a free kick.

From open play though, you found yourself wanting a little more from De Bruyne. The shots he took flew tamely off his boot. The passing, aggressive as ever, seemed to ask a little too much of his teammates. He was frequently overpowered in duels with the Egyptian backline, emerging successful from just three of eight. And, look, this was a tough day under the early afternoon sun in Seattle for a man who did his best work under the Manchester drizzle. But still, it is not a great reflection on De Bruyne that Rudi Garcia felt it made sense to replace him with Hans Vanaken for the final five minutes plus added time of a game that needed one moment of craft to break open.

Perhaps the problem here is less De Bruyne's performance than what he set as a baseline in his years with Manchester City. This was a player who would hit a combined 0.6 non-penalty xG and expected assists per 90 minutes, as if that were not a ludicrous benchmark, as if three and a half chances created and three shots were not a playmaker on an absolute heater. Hamstring injuries were already dulling the effectiveness of the 34-year-old, as were Antonio Conte's ever more cautious tactics at Napoli last season, though to a level where he is now just an elite passer rather than a scorer and carrier too.

And of course, a faintly diminished playmaker is exactly what is to be expected of a man of De Bruyne's age. Don't let the brilliance of Lionel Messi, Harry Kane or (World Cup assist leader) Chris Wood delude you. All the advances in sports science cannot take the tread off tires that have nearly 800 senior games on them.

For Belgium, there is probably no better bet than De Bruyne finding some clear highway against Iran and beyond. It is easy to say that this team should have found a way of readying itself for life after the last vestiges of the golden generation of Eden Hazard, Toby Alderweireld, De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois; the latter three still going, but only goalkeeper Courtois still his old self. That is much easier said than done for a country with a population of 12 million and a domestic league that is perhaps the 10th strongest in the sport. There are no more De Bruynes out there, even for richer nations with deeper player pools than Belgium. Best to squeeze the last drops of fuel out of this one.

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/fifa-world-cup-spain-lamine-yamal-kevin-de-bruyne-belgium/)._