De la Fuente: 'France faced the best team in the world' as Spain book World Cup final spot

Spain are marching confidently toward World Cup glory. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a precise strike by Pedro Porro after the break at the Dallas stadium earned La Roja a deserved place in the tournament's deciding match. Head coach Luis de la Fuente did not hide his emotions after the final whistle. In his view, the Spanish players will enter Sunday's final in New York at the absolute peak of their form and confidence. At the post-match press conference, De la Fuente focused on the phenomenal cohesion and mentality of his squad: "We feel invincible. They (France) faced the best team in the world. That's our advantage. These players deserve everything because day after day they show their commitment, generosity, solidarity and talent," said the boss. The coach especially highlighted how easily Spain overcome difficulties on the pitch: "It's wonderful to watch them play. Today it was a spectacle. What seems difficult, this team makes look easy," De la Fuente added. This victory was historic for Spain — they extended their unbeaten run to 37 matches, equaling the absolute record in men's international football among European nations set by Italy between 2018 and 2021. Interestingly, Spain started the tournament with a dull 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. But in the knockout phase, they hit incredible form, eliminating Portugal, Belgium and France while conceding only one goal along the way. According to De la Fuente, that was part of the plan: "We knew we had to improve gradually. The idea was to reach the key moments in the best possible shape. We are in great form, and in terms of our football level, we have hit our peak," the specialist noted. In the final, Spain will face the winner of the other semifinal between Argentina and England. A match against Argentina would pit the reigning European champions against the reigning world champions, while a meeting with England would be a repeat of the Euro 2024 final. De la Fuente diplomatically weighed in on the potential opponents: "Right now we don't favor one over the other. They have different characteristics. I would be happy to play Argentina because I am close friends with Lionel Scaloni, but I also like the England side very much. We welcome either of them with open arms," he concluded. For Spain, beating France has become a pleasant tradition — this is the third consecutive summer that La Roja have eliminated the French in the semifinals of major tournaments, following successes at Euro 2024 and last year's Nations League.