Spanish National Team Coach Luis de la Fuente said that they have one more match left for the championship and that they are preparing themselves for this most difficult step.
De la Fuente, in his statement after the match in which they beat France 2-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semi-final, said, "I am truly surprised to see what this team can do. We will enjoy this moment. There is one more step left before us and that step is, of course, the most difficult as always. We have to improve ourselves and that is exactly what we are working on right now." he said.
Referring to how they prepared for the France match, the experienced coach said, "Today, we were perhaps going to play against one of the best national teams in the world, but against them was the best team in the world. This is the best way to neutralize any game plan of the opponent. In addition, we achieved this by analyzing every moment and every phase of the game very well, with order, balance, sacrifice, effort and an extraordinary football talent." he said.
De la Fuente explained that the players in the team are at an extraordinary level in terms of morale and motivation, and noted that it is very difficult to reach this level even though the season is over.
When asked about the referee's management, the Spanish coach said, "I think it is necessary to keep the matches under control at all times. If it is as Didier Deschamps said, both sides experienced this. I definitely do not think that the referee's decisions were one-sided as claimed. In fact, there was a goal that was not given to us and very borderline decisions were made, especially in some offside positions." he replied.
Stating that they went into the match with great confidence in themselves, de la Fuente said, "We had no doubts. We knew that if we played like ourselves, we would cause great damage to France. We knew France very well, we knew their potential very well, but we also knew how to neutralize them and how to respond. The players implemented this entire plan on the field perfectly." he said.
When asked which team he wanted to face in the final, de la Fuente said, "I would love to face Argentina because of my friendship with Lionel Scaloni. However, I also have great respect for the football potential that England has. Before coming here, I showed England as one of the strongest championship candidates of this tournament. It will be a very competitive match between two great teams. Whoever comes, we will be waiting for both opponents with open arms." made his assessment.