INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Spain hasn’t lost and hasn’t even conceded a single goal at this year’s World Cup. La Roja is unbeaten in 36 straight competitive matches since March 2023.
This lofty standard of play clearly doesn’t scare Belgium, which is on a surging trajectory of its own heading into the teams’ World Cup quarterfinal match on Friday.
While Spain has been Europe’s most consistent winner for the past 3 1/2 years, Belgium has played its way into position for what could be the final chance for its golden generation to do something spectacular together.
“Everyone is already talking about us going home, but we believe we can do it,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said through an interpreter Thursday. “We believe we can pull off an upset, and we will do everything we can to get to the semis.”
The tantalizing clash at SoFi Stadium matches a pre-tournament favorite and the reigning European champions against Belgium, which has never quite reached its full potential despite the big-money stars across its roster.
The winner faces France in the Dallas area on Tuesday in the semifinals, and Spain is enough of a perceived favorite that coach Luis De La Fuente had to parry several questions from his national media Thursday about that potentially titanic clash with Les Bleus.
But Belgium realizes the opportunity it has after blowing out the co-host United States 4-1 on Monday in its best performance of the tournament and extending the Red Devils’ own unbeaten streak to 18 matches across all competitions. Garcia and Romelu Lukaku said they weren’t worried about their gleeful celebrations of their last victory turning the Los Angeles-area crowd against them.
“I think (before) the past several days, we had 12 million Belgium fans, and now I think we’ve got millions and millions that have joined our ranks across the globe,” Garcia said. “I don’t know what it will be like tomorrow, but it’s not the crowd that scores the goals. It’s not the fans that score the goals. We’re going to focus on what we can do.”
Spain’s defense has been impenetrable, with Rodri orchestrating the effort superbly from midfield. Goalkeeper Unai Simón has only had to make six saves in five World Cup matches, yet Belgium has enough offensive talent to make any goalkeeper work — including Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, veteran striker Lukaku, playmaker Leandro Trossard and Charles De Ketelaere, who had two goals against the Americans.
Lukaku likened the feeling of this match to the Red Devils’ meeting with Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals eight years ago in Russia — a game his team won 2-1 in stunning fashion.
“Tomorrow we need to play the perfect game if we want to proceed,” said Lukaku, Belgium’s career goals leader. “Spain is an excellent team. They’ve been playing the same type of football since 2008. They’re well prepared, but we have certain assets that can make life difficult for them. We love the challenge.”
Despite a wealth of good players around teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, Spain could be vulnerable simply because it hasn’t scored consistently, getting seven of its nine goals at the World Cup during routs of overmatched Saudi Arabia and Austria. La Roja managed only Mikel Merino’s clutch injury-time goal while beating Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16.
“Ultimately we have been very focused on the defensive aspect, but we’ve also historically scored a lot,” De La Fuente said. “I think we have the most attempts on goal (in this World Cup). Perhaps a little bit more efficacy, and we might also be the squad that scores the most. But we’re so good on the attack that it gives the opponent little opportunity to come the other way.”
Striker Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals in Spain’s first appearance at SoFi last week, leading Spain to a 3-0 rout of Austria.
“I think we’ve managed to build a really solid core group,” Oyarzabal said. “Regardless of whether things go well or badly, or who’s playing, the team responds, and I think that’s crucial. We’ve achieved something very difficult: creating that kind of unity within the national team.”
Yamal’s time?
Yamal still hasn’t broken out in his first World Cup, scoring only one goal for Spain. His teammates and coaches say they’re quite satisfied with his overall tournament performance, which began with limited playing time in the group matches while he returned from a hamstring injury incurred in April with Barcelona.
“Maybe he hasn’t contributed goals, but he brings all the attack,” midfielder Gavi said. “He’s incredible. I hope that now if we win, hopefully in the semifinals or the final, too, if we win, then he scores goals so people understand what he does for us.”
De La Fuente praised Yamal for an excellent two-way performance against Portugal. The coach even credited Yamal for the fact that Nuno Mendes, who was attempting to mark Yamal, had to leave early in the second half with an injury.
“He’s very motivated,” De La Fuente said. “(Yamal) wants to do so much, and we know the best version of him, the attacking Lamine, is something we haven’t seen yet in this World Cup. He had to work on the defensive side quite a bit because we were facing a powerhouse of a rival. I think this was an exercise in maturity for Lamine. He’s going to perform on the attacking front, that’s clear. He’s got incredible potential, and it’s going to come.”
Injury concerns for Belgium
Belgium lost midfielder Amadou Onana to a knee injury this week, forcing a tactical change to preserve its defensive structure. That change might simply be the return of De Bruyne, who likely didn’t play against the U.S. to keep him in top condition for Friday’s match.
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