Luis de la Fuente says Spain ‘feel unbeatable’ after defeating France to reach World Cup final

• Spain defeated France 2-0 to book their place in the FIFA World Cup final and extend their unbeaten run to 37 matches.
• Luis de la Fuente said his side have reached their peak at the perfect stage of the tournament and warned they are playing with complete confidence.
• Spain will face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s final after eliminating Portugal, Belgium and France in the knockout rounds.

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente believes his side are playing with complete confidence after securing a place in the FIFA World Cup final with a 2-0 victory over France.

First-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a second-half strike from Pedro Porro sealed a deserved semifinal victory in Dallas, sending the reigning European champions into Sunday’s showpiece.

De la Fuente said Spain have reached the decisive stage of the tournament in peak condition and insisted his players now feel capable of beating anyone.

“We’re feeling unbeatable,” De la Fuente told reporters after the match.

“They faced the best team in the world. We have that edge. These players deserve everything because day after day they demonstrate their commitment, their generosity, their solidarity and their talent.

“It is wonderful to watch them play. Today was a spectacle. What seems difficult, this team makes it look easy.”

Spain’s victory extended their unbeaten run to 37 international matches, equalling the longest streak achieved by a European men’s national team, matching Italy’s run between 2018 and 2021.

Their World Cup campaign began with a surprise goalless draw against Cape Verde, but performances have steadily improved throughout the competition.

Since progressing from the group stage, Spain have eliminated Portugal, Belgium and France while conceding only one goal across the knockout rounds.

De la Fuente said the team’s progression throughout the tournament had followed the coaching staff’s expectations.

“We knew we had to improve little by little,” he said.

“We would have loved to win the first game, but it’s a process. It was planned for us to reach the key moments in the best shape possible. We are in great shape and, in terms of our football level, we have reached our peak.”

Spain will now await the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between Argentina and England.

A meeting with Argentina would pit the reigning European champions against the defending world champions, while an England victory would produce a repeat of the UEFA Euro 2024 final.

De la Fuente said he has no preference over Spain’s final opponent.

“Right now we don’t prefer one or the other,” he said.

“They have different characteristics. I would be excited to face Argentina because I’m a close friend of Lionel Scaloni, but I really like England as well. We welcome either of them with open arms.”

Tuesday’s result also continued Spain’s recent dominance over France in major tournaments.

La Roja eliminated France in the semifinals of UEFA Euro 2024 before defeating them again in last year’s UEFA Nations League, and have now repeated that feat on the World Cup stage to move within one victory of another global title.