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Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
European champions Spain beat France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final, extending their unbeaten run to 37 matches and setting a record with eight consecutive knockout victories at major tournaments.
The joy was written all over the faces of Spain's players after their 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday sent them into the World Cup final.
The European champions delivered their finest performance of the tournament, and arguably of recent years, completely outclassing the world runners-up, who had been considered the leading favourites for the title.
France will have to settle for Saturday's third-place match, while La Roja will contest the final on Sunday against the winner of the other semi-final between Argentina and England.
It is only the second time in Spain's history that the national team has reached a World Cup final.
The previous occasion came 16 years ago, when Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time and lifted the trophy.
They had also entered that final as European champions.
France had increasingly been described as the tournament's best team, but Spain controlled the match beyond dispute and left Kylian Mbappé and his teammates deeply frustrated.
This Spanish side is among the most dominant European national teams of its era, a status illustrated by its remarkable run of 37 matches unbeaten in all competitions: 28 wins and nine draws.
It is the longest such run by a European side, with only Italy having previously achieved it, between 2018 and 2021.
Spain also became the first team in history to win eight consecutive knockout matches at major tournaments: four in the current competition and four on the way to winning the European Championship.
Crowds across Spain gathered at public screenings and then flooded the streets in celebration.
Spanish media hailed Luis de la Fuente's players for an unforgettable display and said Spain had taught the whole world a lesson.
“It is difficult to describe what I am feeling now, but it is certainly something like happiness and pride,” De la Fuente said after the match.
“We have one more step left, and we are going to try to take it.
There is a great deal of tension building at the moment, and an enormous responsibility rests on us.
Reaching a World Cup final is a privilege reserved for very few, and you have to know how to appreciate this moment.
When we started almost four years ago with a particular idea, we stayed true to it, and that is what brought us here.”
The Spain coach added: “This is probably what we talked about among ourselves.
We faced the best players in the world, but today they faced the best team in the world.”
“We feel unbeatable,” De la Fuente said at his news conference.
“These players deserve everything that is happening to them, because every day they show commitment, generosity, solidarity and talent.
It is simply a pleasure to watch them play.
It was a spectacle.
What seems difficult to others, this team makes look easy.”
He said the team had understood that it needed to improve gradually.
“Of course, we would have liked to win from the first match, but it was a process.
The plan was to arrive at the decisive moments in our best form, and today we are exactly where we wanted to be.
In terms of our performance, we reached our peak at the right time.”
Pedro Porro, scorer of Spain's second goal and the player of the match, said: “It is a dream come true.
I could not have imagined such a scenario even in my wildest dreams.
I am so happy and proud of our approach from the beginning of the match to the end.
We played brilliantly and did everything necessary to reach the final.
France are a very good team and have done great things, but we won deservedly.
This achievement belongs to all the players; it is not something personal to me.”
On the game plan, Porro added: “We knew the key was to neutralise their strengths.
We did that, and I am very happy.”
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain's leading scorer in the tournament with five goals and the scorer of the first goal, said: “If I have to help the team without scoring, I will be just as happy.
When you have that responsibility and that opportunity, you do your best for the team.”
Looking ahead to the final, Oyarzabal said: “We have earned the chance to dream of the title, and I hope we can go all the way in five days.”
The European champions delivered their finest performance of the tournament, and arguably of recent years, completely outclassing the world runners-up, who had been considered the leading favourites for the title.
France will have to settle for Saturday's third-place match, while La Roja will contest the final on Sunday against the winner of the other semi-final between Argentina and England.
It is only the second time in Spain's history that the national team has reached a World Cup final.
The previous occasion came 16 years ago, when Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 after extra time and lifted the trophy.
They had also entered that final as European champions.
France had increasingly been described as the tournament's best team, but Spain controlled the match beyond dispute and left Kylian Mbappé and his teammates deeply frustrated.
This Spanish side is among the most dominant European national teams of its era, a status illustrated by its remarkable run of 37 matches unbeaten in all competitions: 28 wins and nine draws.
It is the longest such run by a European side, with only Italy having previously achieved it, between 2018 and 2021.
Spain also became the first team in history to win eight consecutive knockout matches at major tournaments: four in the current competition and four on the way to winning the European Championship.
Crowds across Spain gathered at public screenings and then flooded the streets in celebration.
Spanish media hailed Luis de la Fuente's players for an unforgettable display and said Spain had taught the whole world a lesson.
“It is difficult to describe what I am feeling now, but it is certainly something like happiness and pride,” De la Fuente said after the match.
“We have one more step left, and we are going to try to take it.
There is a great deal of tension building at the moment, and an enormous responsibility rests on us.
Reaching a World Cup final is a privilege reserved for very few, and you have to know how to appreciate this moment.
When we started almost four years ago with a particular idea, we stayed true to it, and that is what brought us here.”
The Spain coach added: “This is probably what we talked about among ourselves.
We faced the best players in the world, but today they faced the best team in the world.”
“We feel unbeatable,” De la Fuente said at his news conference.
“These players deserve everything that is happening to them, because every day they show commitment, generosity, solidarity and talent.
It is simply a pleasure to watch them play.
It was a spectacle.
What seems difficult to others, this team makes look easy.”
He said the team had understood that it needed to improve gradually.
“Of course, we would have liked to win from the first match, but it was a process.
The plan was to arrive at the decisive moments in our best form, and today we are exactly where we wanted to be.
In terms of our performance, we reached our peak at the right time.”
Pedro Porro, scorer of Spain's second goal and the player of the match, said: “It is a dream come true.
I could not have imagined such a scenario even in my wildest dreams.
I am so happy and proud of our approach from the beginning of the match to the end.
We played brilliantly and did everything necessary to reach the final.
France are a very good team and have done great things, but we won deservedly.
This achievement belongs to all the players; it is not something personal to me.”
On the game plan, Porro added: “We knew the key was to neutralise their strengths.
We did that, and I am very happy.”
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain's leading scorer in the tournament with five goals and the scorer of the first goal, said: “If I have to help the team without scoring, I will be just as happy.
When you have that responsibility and that opportunity, you do your best for the team.”
Looking ahead to the final, Oyarzabal said: “We have earned the chance to dream of the title, and I hope we can go all the way in five days.”
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