Spain Eyes Historic Double as Quarter-Final Clash with Belgium Looms
Spain is on the cusp of a significant achievement, aiming to become only the fourth team in history to simultaneously hold both the World Cup and European Championship titles. Their journey continues this Friday with a World Cup quarter-final showdown against Belgium in Inglewood, California, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET. Should they advance, a semi-final against France awaits.
Under coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain has been a defensive fortress, not conceding a single goal across five matches in the tournament so far. This impressive defensive record, coupled with an offense featuring Mikel Oyarzabal, who leads the team with four goals in five games, makes them one of the tournament favorites. De la Fuente, now in his fourth year as Spain’s boss and with a coaching tenure within the Spanish federation dating back to 2013, has cultivated a strong collective identity, losing only three times since January 2023.
Belgium, meanwhile, enters the quarter-finals with momentum following a decisive 4-1 victory over the United States on Monday. This impressive win followed a comeback against Senegal in the Round of 32, signaling a return to form for a squad that last reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2018. Spain secured their quarter-final berth with a tight 1-0 win against Portugal on the same day.
The winner of the Spain-Belgium match will face France, who advanced to the semi-finals after defeating Morocco. France’s victory saw a more attacking display under Didier Deschamps compared to their previous World Cup encounter against the same opponent, with goals from Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. This win, however, was followed by instances of public disorder in central London, where police reported an officer injured and four arrests after disturbances involving bottle-throwing and fireworks.
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