34 days ago, Spain opened the World Cup with a frustrating goalless draw against Cape Verde, their first appearance in the World Cup.
They finished the tournament with the World Cup trophy after defeating holders Argentina in the final in New Jersey on Sunday.
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Luis de la Fuente’s young team improved by leaps and bounds as the tournament progressed, slowly moving up a gear heading into the finals and eventually emerging as the winners in the biggest match.
Spain maintained an unbeaten record, conceding just one goal throughout the tournament, and their record now stands at an astonishing 38 games.
It all culminated in La Roja’s dominant final performance, controlling the match and nullifying Argentina’s attacking threats.
Here we take a look at how Spain won their second World Cup.
the kids will be fine
Spain entered this tournament with the sixth-youngest team out of the 48 participating teams, with an average age of 26.19 years and only six players over 30 years old.
Compare this to Brazil, for example, which has 11 players over 30 and an average age of 28.65.
It’s true that La Roja chose youth over experience, but it was the right decision. Some of the best players are teenagers, with Pau Kvarsi and Lamine Yamal both 19 years old.
Nico Williams, who assisted the winning goal in the final, is 24 years old, and Barcelona midfielder Pedri is 23 years old.
slow starter
Spain began their World Cup campaign in Atlanta, playing their first appearance against Cape Verde in mid-June.
The European champions could not find a way past the African team and their star goalkeeper Vosinha, and both teams ended in a scoreless draw.
This was one of the most surprising results in World Cup history and left many questions about Spain’s chances in the tournament.
Despite all the buzz, Spain overtook Saudi Arabia in the next group match, defeating Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara.
The eventual champions easily defeated Austria in the last-32 match, but it took real grit and determination to get through the next two knockout matches.
Super-sub Mikel Merino came on from the bench in both games against Portugal and Belgium, scoring the winning goal in the closing stages to seal La Roja’s place in the final.
No need to rely on Yamal
Spain’s 2-1 victory over Belgium in the quarterfinals was another game in this tournament in which Yamal failed to take a shot in front of goal.
Asked about this after the match, the teenager said if Spain lifted the trophy, “no one would remember whether I scored or not.”
He was right.
In North America, Mikel Oyarzabal scored five goals for Spain, with other members of the team also contributing.
Mikel Merino and Pedro Polo both scored twice, and Ferran Torres scored the decisive goal that helped Spain win the World Cup.
Despite only one goal and no assists, Yamal remains a key player for North American La Roja.
He played in all the games and was named player of the match for his performance in the last eight match against Belgium.
He then scored a penalty when Spain took the lead against France in the semi-finals in Dallas.
Spain advances to the semi-finals
Having won the first three knockout matches, France was the favorite to advance to the tournament, but Spain had other ideas.
De la Fuente displayed some brilliant tactics in the semi-final against Les Bleus, negating the threat of one of the strongest attacking teams in world football with a comfortable 2-0 victory.
Spain’s midfield trio of Dani Olmo, Rodri and Fabian Ruiz dominated possession and controlled the tempo of the match from the kick-off.
Due to their dominance in midfield, France were unable to feed their feared attackers, including Kylian Mbappé and Michael Oliseh.
La Roja also took the lead midway through the first half and surprised their opponents by continuing to push forward.
They never allowed France a foothold in the game, limiting them to potshots from well outside the penalty area.
conquer the final
Spain stuck with the same starting XI for Sunday’s final, and who can blame them? They followed the same playbook as in the semifinals, controlling possession and frustrating their opponents.
Argentina was limited to just two shots in 120 minutes of soccer, with none on target.
Spain had a possession rate of 65 percent, which exhausted the South American team both mentally and physically.
Argentina’s frustrations boiled over in stoppage time, when Enzo Fernandes brought on Kvarsi late and sent his opponent high into the air, earning him a second yellow card.
With Pedri, Williams and Torres off the bench, Spain continued to dominate and finally broke through in the 106th minute when Torres smashed the ball into the roof of the goal.
Does Spain have a bright future?
The world and European champions have young teams that will dominate international football for years to come.
Although many of their players have not yet reached their peak, they will surely be aiming for further success in tournaments, including their home World Cup in four years’ time.
Star players like Yamal, Kvarci, Pedri and Williams will be in their prime in 2030, and Spain’s possession-based play will no doubt be beneficial in Europe’s hot summer climate.
They will also be confident of retaining the European Championship in two years’ time when Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland host the tournament.
De la Fuente’s contract has been extended until 2028, and the Spanish manager looks poised for further success on the international stage.
