Soccer
Spain wait for Lamine Yamal to shine and lead them to World Cup showpiece
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Spain prepare for their World Cup semi-final with France tonight, knowing that they are just one victory away from a place in the showpiece for the first time since 2010.
The European champions were hotly tipped for this year's tournament and have already shown why, thanks to a controlled style of play that has seen them swamp opponents and rarely been troubled at the back.
However, many believed the Spanish also had a trump card in Lamine Yamal, who was tipped to be one of the stars of the finals, two years on from his breakout party at the Euros.
Yet, Barcelona's talisman entered the competition with a left hamstring injury, meaning that so far, we haven't seen the teenager reach the ridiculous heights we've seen from him over the past two campaigns.
As we wrote before Spain's win over Belgium, but now ahead of the mouth-watering clash with the French, can Yamal deliver when it matters more than ever, and fire Spain to a World Cup final?
Lamine Yamal yet to set World Cup alight
After earning the Young Player of the Tournament award at Euro 2024 and some outrageous seasons with Barcelona, many were predicting this to be the Yamal World Cup.
However, in late April, the winger picked up a left hamstring injury in a La Liga clash against Celta Vigo, which not only ended his season but also sparked concern over his availability for Spain.
The 18-year-old was benched against Cabo Verde, which seemed like the ideal opportunity for him to rest, but he was called upon after the island nation held firm to secure a goalless draw.
In La Roja's following game, Yamal reminded everyone of his ability, scoring his first World Cup goal within 10 minutes against Saudi Arabia with a tap-in at the far post from a pinpoint Alex Baena cross.
The Barca man was subbed off at half-time with the game won, and while that should have been the moment to trigger his impact, he has been unable to make the statement he would have craved.
Yamal has started in every game since, but he is yet to make his mark or add to his goal contributions.
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Could Yamal find form at right time for Spain?
Given that Spain are unbeaten in the World Cup and only conceded one goal, it would be fair to argue that La Roja have not needed the teenage sensation to be at his finest.
It has been a mixed bag for De la Fuente's side in terms of performances, with his men at their vibrant attacking best against Austria before a stale 1-0 victory over Portugal and then a controlled win over the Belgians in the quarter-final.
That is what is so frightening about this Spain outfit. They have hardly gotten out of gear in some matches yet have enjoyed such a clean record up to this point.
What is even more terrifying is that Yamal is yet to take flight, and with European champions needing to be at their utter best to get past this ruthless France side, this would be the ideal time for him to start firing.
Indeed, the underlying numbers are there for the 18-year-old, as no right-winger has completed more successful dribbles or won possession more in the final third than him in the tournament, while he has also had 46 touches in the opposition box and has 23 shots on goal.
This suggests that it is just a matter of time before Yamal elevates his game on the grandest stage, and if he does, then it could be the key ingredient that leads Spain to just a second World Cup trophy.
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