New York, July 18 (IANS) Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says the only thing that makes him nervous about the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina is that his team will have to fly in a helicopter.The comment says a lot about the calm radiated by the 65-year-old, who spent most of his playing career at Athletic Bilbao and most of his coaching career with youth teams, with five seasons in the Athletic Bilbao youth system and joining the Spanish Football Federation in 2013, with just 11 games…
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New York, July 9 (IANS) Spain and Belgium meet in an all-European World Cup quarterfinal on Saturday, with Belgium facing the daunting task of becoming the first team to score against Spain in the tournament.Spain has yet to concede a goal at the World Cup, with goalkeeper Unai Simón extending his shutout streak in World Cup finals to 609 minutes, a run dating back to the group stage of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.Luis de la Fuente is expected to retain his preferred back four of Marc Cucurell…
New York, July 5 (IANS) Spain and Portugal will renew one of international football’s fiercest rivalries on Monday when they meet in a blockbuster World Cup round-of-16 tie, with one of the tournament favorites guaranteed to make an early exit.Spain remains among the leading contenders for the title after a comfortable 3-0 victory over Austria in the last 32 reinforced confidence in coach Luis de la Fuente’s side.De la Fuente’s team has scored eight goals in four matches, with Mikel Oyarzabal co…
New York, July 1 (IANS) Spain will be without two key players for their World Cup Round-of-32 match against Austria in Los Angeles on Thursday, but Lamine Yamal looks likely to play an increasingly important role for coach Luis de la Fuente.Spain’s bruising final group match against Uruguay on Friday left Nico Williams nursing a groin injury after a heavy challenge from Nicolas de la Cruz, while Yeremy Pino suffered a shoulder injury following another bad tackle.Although neither injury is as ser…
New York, June 30 (IANS) Spain has had some positive news on the injury front with the confirmation that winger Nico Williams didn’t suffer a torn groin muscle in his side’s 1-0 win over Uruguay on Friday night and has a chance of playing again in the World Cup. Williams was seen limping badly after the game following a dreadful challenge from behind from Uruguay’s Nicolas de la Cruz and early expectations were that he had suffered a groin injury that would end his World Cup.Williams wrote on so…
Atlanta, June 20 (IANS) Group H could begin to take shape when Spain and Saudi Arabia meet in their second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Atlanta Stadium. With both teams collecting a point from their opening fixtures, the contest presents an opportunity to gain a crucial edge in one of the tournament’s most evenly balanced groups.The opening round produced an unusual scenario, with every team in Group H ending the day level on points. Spain, among the favourites to lift the trophy, were un…
Puebla, June 7 (IANS) Spain’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup enter a crucial phase as Luis de la Fuente’s side travel to Mexico for their final warm-up match against Peru on Monday before opening their campaign against Cabo Verde on June 15. The Spanish squad left for Puebla on Sunday after arriving at their World Cup base in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Friday. The match presents an additional challenge, with Puebla located around 2,100 metres above sea level, leaving Spain little time to ac…
Madrid, April 30 (IANS) Atletico Madrid and Arsenal drew 1-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal at the Metropolitano, leaving everything to be decided in next week’s return leg in London.Both goals came from the penalty spot, and Arsenal was left aggrieved after a late VAR intervention overturned what had looked a strong claim for a second spot-kick that could have tilted the tie in its favour, reports Xinhua.Atletico started with Ademola Lookman on the left and Jan Oblak …
Madrid, April 17 (IANS) Former finalists Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad meet in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, with the trophy becoming the second major title to be decided in Spain this season after the Super Cup.Real Sociedad won the 2020 Copa del Rey final 1-0 against Athletic Bilbao. This will be the first Cup final attended by their supporters since 1987, when they beat Atletico Madrid on penalties after the match ended 2-2 following extra time, reports Xinhua.Atletico’s last Copa d…
Madrid, March 11 (IANS) Atletico Madrid took a big step toward the Champions League quarterfinals with a 5-2 home win over Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Metropolitano Stadium.Tottenham coach Igor Tudor said before the match that he was prioritizing Premier League survival over European progress, and his side made a disastrous start as Atletico led 4-0 after 22 minutes.Tudor started with Antonin Kinsky in goal, even though the 22-year-old had not played a minute i…