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Thirty-four days ago, Spain opened their World Cup campaign with a disappointing goal against rivals Cape Verde.
On Sunday, they finished with the World Cup trophy in their hands, defeating those with Argentina last time in New Jersey.
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Luis de la Fuente’s young team thrived in leaps and bounds as the tournament unfolded, gradually shifting gears as they went through the knockout stages before emerging victorious in the biggest game.
Spain have conceded just one goal in all competitions and maintained their unbeaten record, which has reached an incredible 38 games.
It all ended with a good final performance by La Roja, who controlled the game and ended Argentina’s threats.
See how Spain defended its second World Cup.
The children will be fine
Spain entered the tournament with the sixth youngest squad of the 48 competing teams, with an average age of 26.19 and only six players over 30.
Compare that to Brazil, for example, who had 11 players over the age of 30 with an average age of 28.65.
La Roja definitely chose youth for experience, and it was the right call. Some of their best players are young, with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal both 19.
Nico Williams, who assisted the winner in the final, is 24 years old, while Barcelona midfielder Pedri is 23 years old.
Slow starters
Spain began their World Cup campaign in Atlanta, playing Cape Verde in mid-June.
The European players failed to find a way past the African side and their star goalkeeper Vozinha, and the teams playing football. scoreless draw.
It was one of the most dramatic results in World Cup history, and left many questioning Spain’s chances at the tournament.
Despite all the news, Spain traveled through Saudi Arabia in the next group stage before defeating Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara.
The eventual champions beat Austria in the last 32, but needed grit and determination to get through the next two games.
Super-sub Mikel Merino came off the bench against Portugal and Belgium to score late winners for La Roja and secure their place in the last four.
No need to rely on Yamal
in Spain 2-1 defeat of Belgium in the quarterfinals there was another game in the tournament where Yamal failed to shoot in front of the goal.
The young man was asked about this after the game and said that “no one will remember if I scored goals” if Spain lifted the trophy.
He was right.
Mikel Oyarzabal led Spain with five goals in North America, while the rest also scored.
Mikel Merino and Pedro Porro both scored twice, and Ferran Torres scored the crucial goal that won Spain the World Cup.
Despite having one goal and no assists, Yamal is still a key player for La Roja in North America.
He has been in every game and was given the chance to play the game because of his performance against Belgium in the last 8.
He then won a penalty as Spain opened the scoring against France in their semi-final in Dallas.
Spain advanced to the semifinals
After going through their first three knockout games, France were favorites going into the tournament, but Spain had other ideas.
Coach de la Fuente produced a masterpiece in the semifinal against Les Bleus, ending the threat of one of the strongest teams in world football. a comfortable 2-0 win.
The three Spanish players of Dani Olmo, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz ordered to take over and control the start of the game.
Their dominance in midfield ensured that France could not feed their star threats, including Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise.
La Roja again confused their opponents by taking the lead midway through the first half and continued to push forward in the second.
They did not allow France to participate in the game, preventing them from practicing outside the penalty area.
Last control
Spain kept the same starting line-up for Sunday’s final, and who can blame them? They followed the same playbook as the semifinals, dominating and frustrating their opponents.
Argentina managed just two shots in 120 minutes of football, neither of which they wanted.
Spain had 65 percent and was causing the South Americans to become mentally and physically weak.
Argentina’s frustration continued in the second half as Enzo Fernandez made a late tackle on Cubarsi, sending his opponent into the air and receiving a second yellow card.
Spain, who removed the likes of Pedri, Williams and Torres from the bench, continued to dominate and finally succeeded in the 106th minute, Torres smashing the ball into the roof of the net.
A bright future for Spain?
International and European players have a young squad and look set to dominate world football for years to come.
Many of their players would have reached their peak and will be looking to improve in the tournament, including a home of the World Cup in four years.
Stars like Yamal, Cubarsi, Pedri and Williams will all be successful in 2030, and playing in Spain will be beneficial in the hot European summer.
They will also be confident of retaining their European Championship in two years’ time, with the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland competing.
De la Fuente has extended his contract until 2028, and the Spanish manager looks set to become the best player in the world.
