INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Spain hasn’t lost or conceded a goal in this year’s tournament. world cup. La Roja has been undefeated in 36 official matches since March 2023.
This high standard of play clearly does not scare Belgium. Belgium are on a rapid rise of their own heading into Friday’s World Cup quarter-finals.
Spain have been Europe’s most consistent champions over the past three-and-a-half years, but Belgium are pushing into what could be the last chance for their entire golden generation to work together and achieve something great.
The fascinating clash at SoFi Stadium will pit pre-tournament favorites and current European champions Belgium against a side that is loaded with big-money stars but has yet to reach its full potential. Still, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Belgium knew they had a chance after the game. Defeated co-host USA 4-1 They produced their best performance in the competition on Monday, extending the Red Devils’ own unbeaten run in all competitions to 18 games.
Courtois, who has been at Real Madrid since 2018, said: “Obviously we start from behind against them because I think they are one of the favorites to win. But in football anything is possible and with all due respect I believe we can win. But obviously they are the favorites to win.”
Spain have struggled to score at times over the past month, but their defense remained flawless, with Rodri scoring brilliantly from midfield. Goalkeeper Unai Simon plays 609 consecutive minutes, a World Cup record Without conceding a goal, they set a new World Cup record by not conceding a goal in six consecutive games starting in the 2022 Qatar tournament.
Simon has only made six saves in five World Cup games, but Belgium has enough offensive talent to make any goalkeeper work, including Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, veteran striker Romelu Lukaku, playmaker Leandro Trossard and Charles de Quetelaere, who scored twice against the United States.
Despite having a wealth of quality players around teenage sensation Lamine Yamal, Spain haven’t scored as many goals as Belgium in this tournament, with seven of their nine World Cup goals coming in two games against underdogs Saudi Arabia and Austria. La Roja only scored a clutch stoppage-time goal from Mikel Merino. When we beat Portugal 1-0 In the round of 16.
“Ultimately we have put a lot of emphasis on the defensive side, but historically we have also scored a lot of goals,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said on Thursday. “I think we have the most attempts on goal[in this World Cup]. Maybe if we were a little more effective we could be the team that scores the most. But we attack so well that we don’t give our opponents very many chances to come back.”
Striker Mikel Oyarzabal scored two goals in his first appearance for Spain at the SoFi Stadium last week to lead Spain into the lead. Lost to Austria 3-0.
“I think we were able to build a really solid core group,” Oyarzabal said. “Regardless of whether things go well or bad, regardless of who plays, the team responds. I think that’s important. We’ve accomplished something that’s very difficult, which is to create that kind of unity within the national team.”
Belgium has reached the World Cup quarter-finals more recently than Spain. The veteran Belgian star was a youngster when the Red Devils reached the semi-finals in Russia eight years ago, while Spain had not won in the finals since winning the 2010 World Cup.
Yamal time?
Yamal is yet to break out in his first World Cup, scoring just one goal for Spain. His teammates and coaches have said they were very happy with his performances throughout the tournament, which began with limited minutes in group matches while he returned from a hamstring injury sustained in April with Barcelona.
“Maybe he doesn’t contribute to the goals, but he brings all the attacks,” midfielder Gabi said. “He’s an unbelievable player. If we win, hopefully in the semi-finals or the final, if we win, I hope he scores and people realize what he’s doing for us.”
Coach de la Fuente praised Yamal’s excellent two-way performance against Portugal. The manager also gave credit to Yamal for the fact that Nuno Mendes, who was trying to mark him, had to leave early in the second half with an injury.
“He’s very motivated,” de la Fuente said. “(Yamal) wants to do a lot and we know that the best version of him, the attacking Lamine, is something we haven’t seen yet in this World Cup. He had to work a lot defensively because he played against a strong rival. I think this was a maturation exercise for Lamine. He will perform offensively, that’s clear. He has incredible potential and that’s yet to come.”
Injury concerns for Belgium
Belgium loses midfielder Amadou Onana This week, a knee injury forced him to make tactical changes to maintain his defensive structure. That change could simply be De Bruyne’s return, but De Bruyne likely sat out the game against the United States in order to be in top condition for Friday’s game. Winger Jeremy Doku is currently considered healthy, but has not played consistently well at the World Cup.
Nico Williams is expected to be in good health after being limited earlier in the World Cup, and Spain also appears to be in good health otherwise.
___
See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
