Teen star Yamal warns France as Spain take 37-game unbeaten streak into semi-final.
Lamine Yamal believes France should be wary of Spain ahead of their highly anticipated World Cup semi-final clash on Tuesday.
“I think if France has to fear any team, it should be us,” the teenage star told broadcasters after Spain defeated Belgium 2-1 on Friday to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 2010. “We were the ones who knocked them out before.”
Spain have already enjoyed success against France in recent meetings, defeating them in the 2024 European Championship semi-finals and again in the Nations League last year.
Lamine Yamal made history during the continental tournament, becoming the youngest player ever to score at the European Championship.
The two footballing powerhouses will meet again next week at the home stadium of the Dallas Cowboys, with a place in the World Cup final at stake.
“We don’t fear anyone,” said Yamal, who was named player of the match against Belgium. “It is clear that we are two great teams, two world-class national sides. For me, they are among the best teams in the world. We will see what happens.”
Spain booked their semi-final place with a late winner from substitute Mikel Merino, who struck in the 88th minute during the quarter-final victory over Belgium at SoFi Stadium. La Roja have conceded just one goal throughout the World Cup, which came late in the first half against Belgium, while France have been among the tournament’s most prolific sides, scoring 16 goals across their six matches.
France have reached the last two World Cup finals, lifting the trophy in 2018. Spain, meanwhile, have appeared in only one World Cup final in their history, but the current side enters the semi-final on a remarkable 37-match unbeaten run in competitive fixtures since March 2023. That streak also includes a penalty shootout defeat to Portugal in last year’s Nations League final.
Yamal, who turns 19 on Monday, has scored once in his first World Cup campaign but has impressed with his creativity and constant threat on the right side of Spain’s attack. He played a key role in the build-up to Spain’s opening goal against Belgium, combining with Pedro Porro before the move eventually ended with Fabián Ruiz scoring from Dani Olmo’s rebound.
Despite Spain requiring late goals from Merino to win their last two matches, Yamal believes his team is prepared for the challenge posed by a France side that has been one of the tournament’s strongest performers.
“I think we were much better than Belgium,” Yamal said. “It may look like we are playing beautiful football, but the reality is that there is no team that plays against us on equal terms. Most teams sit back, which makes things more difficult. Nobody has really gone toe-to-toe with us. But in the end, we got the win.”
