Shillong: Lamine Yamal is talking big. The teenage star says France should fear Spain ahead of their World Cup semifinal clash. The two giants meet next week at the Dallas Cowboys stadium to fight for a spot in the final.
Spain punched its ticket by beating Belgium 2-1 on Friday. Substitute Mikel Merino scored the winner in the 88th minute at SoFi Stadium. Spain has not lost a competitive match in 37 tries since March 2023.
Yamal remains confident despite his limited stats. He has one goal in this tournament. He focuses on controlling the ball to keep France from playing its own game. "I believe if France has to fear anyone, it should be us, in my opinion," Yamal told reporters. He noted that Spain knocked France out of the Euro semifinals and beat them in Nations League play last year.
France is a scoring machine. They have put 16 goals past opponents in six games. They also made the last two World Cup finals. Still, the Spanish camp is not blinking. Coach Luis de la Fuente remains focused on the prize. "Let me be clear: We are not finished," he said.
Spain dominated possession against Belgium. Yamal says rivals struggle to play them on equal footing. Most teams just drop back to defend. That makes breaking through a grind. But Spain keeps winning.
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