Lamine Yamal insists he would take no fear into Spain’s World Cup semifinal against France when both sides meet after he celebrated his 19th birthday.
The Barcelona prodigy raised eyebrows following Spain’s 2-1 quarterfinal defeat of Belgium last week after being quoted as saying that France rather than Spain ought to be “afraid” given recent defeats against La Roja.
A relaxed-looking Yamal addressed those comments as he spoke to reporters on Monday at a press conference.
“I was asked if I was afraid of France, and I said no,” Yamal explained. “We are European champions. It’s simply football,” the teenager explained.
Yamal said he had marked his 19th birthday by buying a chunky jewel-encrusted necklace he wore to his press conference. The real birthday present, though, would be a place in Sunday’s World Cup final.
“I haven’t received many gifts yet. The best gift would be a win on Tuesday and a trip to New York,” he said.
While other stars at this World Cup have been in blistering goal-scoring form, Yamal so far has only found the net once during the tournament – but is ready to add to his tally against France.
“I don’t focus on goals, but it’s always special to score in a match like this. I accept the challenge. That’s why I came here,” Yamal said, promising a “beautiful match for the spectators”.
“It’s the game everyone was waiting for,” he added.
While acknowledging the momentous nature of Tuesday’s game, Yamal remained laid-back in his approach.
“There are far more difficult situations in life than a football match, so I’m calm,” he said. “I don’t feel any extra pressure; I’ll go out and play like always and give my all for the team.”
‘We’ve known each other for a while’
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says his team plan to go on the “front foot” against tournament favourites France when they face off in a heavyweight semifinal showdown.
De la Fuente’s Spain will attempt to impose their possession-based game on France in what is shaping up as a gripping clash of styles.
While France coach Didier Deschamps insists Spain remain favourites for the World Cup, betting markets overwhelmingly back France to clinch a second title in three attempts.
Les Bleus have powered into the last four with a scintillating brand of attacking football based around such talents as Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele.
But De la Fuente, whose team have beaten France in their last two meetings, is quietly plotting another ambush at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.
“We’ve already analysed France in great detail; we’ve known each other for a while now,” De la Fuente said.
“We faced each other for a few years now, and they have great players, but so do we. We have to put all of our virtues on the table and try to counteract the strengths of the opponent.
“And that’s what football is about – the team that strikes a better balance is usually closer to getting the victory.
“We’ll have to think about their players. We’ll try to win those duels and will try to be on the front foot during the game, imposing our style.”
France ‘far better’
De la Fuente, though, is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task facing his side.
France, he said, have improved significantly since Spain defeated them 5-4 in a hectic UEFA Nations League semifinal in Stuttgart last year, when the Spaniards led 5-1 before a late French rally. That encounter would bear no resemblance to Tuesday’s game, De la Fuente said.
“We’re talking about two very different matches,” he admitted.
“Tomorrow is another semifinal. I will just try to repeat the positive scenarios, but there were other details where things weren’t that positive.
“We were winning 5-1, and in a few minutes they managed to make it 5-4. So we’re trying to repeat what we did well and the opposite of what we didn’t do well.
“We need to try and impose our game. We have completely antagonistic playing styles, so we’ll try to be on the front foot and take the initiative.”
De la Fuente also believes a maturing France squad will be a tougher proposition.
“I think they are a better team, far better, because those players have grown, and what they are doing now is better than what they were doing then,” he said.
“So they’ve improved their skills in the past two years, and that’s the reality.”
While controlling possession and tempo will be key, De la Fuente will also tell his players to savour the challenge. Asked what his final message to his team would be, he replied: “Let’s get out there and enjoy it.
“We are in a unique setting. Who knows whether we will come back? We must be the team that we know that we can be. We must be strong and try to counter the strength of the opponent.”
