New York, July 18 (IANS) European champions Spain have combined attacking quality with one of the strongest defensive displays in FIFA World Cup history to reach their first final since lifting the trophy in South Africa in 2010.Luis de la Fuente’s side will now face defending champions Argentina at MetLife Stadium on Monday , looking to add a second World Cup crown to their golden-era achievements.Spain’s journey has been built on balance. While Mikel Oyarzabal has emerged as the team’s leading…
Latest Unai Simon News & Updates
Arlington, July 15 (IANS) Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal and Pedro Porro earned Spain a deserved 2-0 win over France at Dallas Stadium in their FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final here at the Dallas Stadium on Wednesday. This was France’s fourth defeat in the semi-finals of the World Cup (1958, 1982, 1986, 2026) in eight appearances. Moreover, this was the third consecutive elimination against Spain in the semi-finals of a competition after Euro 2024 (2-1) and the Nations League 2025 (5-4).France lost th…
Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) Substitute Mikel Merino scored a late winner for the second consecutive match as Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 here on Friday to book its first FIFA World Cup semifinal appearance since 2010, setting up a last-four clash against France in Dallas next Tuesday.Merino had also come off the bench to score the winner in Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16, while the Red Devils cruised past co-host the United States 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals, reported Xin…
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…
Madrid, July 7 (IANS) Spain’s victory over Portugal in the World Cup Round of 16 has increased the likelihood that several opening-weekend matches in the upcoming 2026-27 season of La Liga will be postponed.La Liga is scheduled to begin on the weekend of August 15-16, but an agreement provides that clubs with players involved in the World Cup semifinals will not be required to begin their domestic campaign until a week later. Any postponed fixtures are expected to be rescheduled between the seco…
New York, July 7 (IANS) Aymeric Laporte and Cristiano Ronaldo experienced contrasting emotions after Spain eliminated Portugal from the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday.While Ronaldo left the field in tears following Portugal’s exit in the Round of 16, Laporte was all smiles after helping Spain book a place in the quarterfinals while extending one of the tournament’s most remarkable defensive records.Laporte spent two years alongside Ronaldo at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr between 2023 and 2025 before r…
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 3 (IANS) Spain can look forward to their last-16 tie against neighbour Portugal in what promises to be another thriller at this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. The last time the two sides met, Portugal emerged victorious on penalties in the 2025 UEFA Nations League final after a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes.Cristiano Ronaldo was on target from the spot again in Portugal’s thrilling 2-1 win over Croatia on Thursday, but his overall performance once again drew criticism, and coach Robert…
Los Angeles, July 3 (IANS) Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon has etched his name into football history by setting a new Guinness World Record for the longest clean sheet in FIFA World Cup finals matches. After Spain’s 3-0 win over Australia to set up a last-16 tie against Portugal, Spanish shot-stopper has gone an incredible 519 minutes without conceding a goal on the sport’s biggest stage, surpassing a milestone that had stood untouched for over three decades.Simon’s feat eclipses the previous reco…
Los Angeles, July 2 (IANS) Head coach Luis de la Fuente described Spain’s 3-0 win over Austria as nearly faultless but warned tougher challenges await as La Roja seeks a second World Cup title. Mikel Oyarzabal scored either side of Pedro Porro’s first international goal as Spain cruised into the round of 16 at Los Angeles Stadium.”The big teams turn up when their presence is needed,” De la Fuente was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “I think today we’ve seen a great game. I’m happy because in all asp…