Manchester City pair Rodri and Omar Marmoush both earned important 2026 World Cup wins on Sunday, with Spain beating Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Egypt coming from behind to defeat New Zealand 3-1.
Rodri captained Spain in Group H and played the full 90 minutes, according to Manchester City’s official report, as La Roja responded to their opening draw with Cape Verde by producing the statement result they needed.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring after 10 minutes before Mikel Oyarzabal struck twice in quick succession. Spain’s fourth arrived shortly after half-time when Hassan Al Tambakti turned a Marc Cucurella effort into his own net.
Rodri and Marmoush both make World Cup impact
For City, Rodri’s full-match role is the headline detail. The midfielder wore the armband, won his 64th Spain cap and delivered the sort of controlling performance that will please Pep Guardiola as the World Cup workload builds.
Marmoush’s night was also significant. Egypt trailed New Zealand early but levelled through Mostafa Zico before Mohamed Salah completed the turnaround. Marmoush was replaced by Trezeguet with 15 minutes left, and the substitute later sealed a 3-1 win.
Jeremy Doku did not feature in Belgium’s 0-0 draw with Iran, making Rodri and Marmoush the two City players with the clearest positive momentum from Sunday’s international action.
