Fifa World Cup: Luis de la Fuente ‘convinced’ Spain can topple Kylian Mbappe and France
Dallas encounter is repeat of 2024 European Championship and 2025 Nations League semi-finals, both won by Spain
Luis de la Fuente said he was “convinced” that his purring Spain team had the ability to wreck France’s dreams of reaching a third straight World Cup final when the European heavyweights clash in Dallas on Wednesday.
Head coach De la Fuente boasts the extraordinary record of having won all 13 of his matches at major finals, the latest victory coming over Belgium on Saturday in a tight quarter-final that Spain edged 2-1.
Despite having overcome France in the semi-finals of both the 2024 European Championship and last year’s Nations League, Spain will enter the last-four tie this week as underdogs.
Appointed to replace Luis Enrique after Spain limped out of the 2022 World Cup in the round of 16, De la Fuente said: “The expectations are very high for the next game … we’re very well aware of the potential of our opponent, but we’re very clear that we’re able to beat France.
“We had semi-finals against them and were successful. The game will be very demanding and energetic. We’ll need the best version of ourselves, and we’ll leave everything on the pitch.”
Mikel Merino again stepped off the bench to strike a late winner against Belgium, the forward adding to his stoppage-time strike in Spain’s 1-0 last-16 victory over Portugal with a predatory 88th-minute finish after the Belgians’ substitute goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, failed to hold an attempt from Pau Cubarsi.