Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said his side had revived the spirit of their 2010 World ​Cup triumph after a commanding 2-0 win over France on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) sent them into ‌the final and left them one victory from a second ​global title.

Spain, who won their first World Cup 16 years ⁠ago, neutralised a France attack that had scored 16 goals before the semi-final and had been regarded as one of the tournament’s most dangerous. France did not ‌manage a shot on target until after the 80-minute mark.

Also read: France vs Spain, FIFA World Cup semi-final highlights

“The message was that we were up against one of the best ‌teams in the world, but that they were up against the ‌best ⁠team in the world,” De la Fuente told a press ⁠conference.

“These players show commitment, solidarity and talent. They make the difficult look easy. They have talent and the right attitude towards life and sport. I see a happy dressing room and ​a nation behind us. We’ve ‌recaptured the spirit of 2010. The character of this team is evident in the fact that those who didn’t play have stayed behind to train after the match,” he said.

De la Fuente praised a squad he said ‌had been built on humility, shared purpose and the absence of ​egos, saying Spain’s strength came from everyone moving in the same direction.

“I believe the most important thing is knowing how ⁠to choose your travelling companions. If you make the wrong choice of travelling companions, you could end up with a problem,” he added.

“We know that ‌this team — not just the players, but everyone who makes up the squad — works towards a common goal, with the same enthusiasm, and we are ordinary, generous people who seek the common good before our own individual interests,” De la Fuente said.

Spain, who won Euro 2024, has now equalled Italy’s record of 37 consecutive unbeaten matches, but De la Fuente said his players still had ‌room to grow.

“This team never ceases to amaze me. The scope for improvement is ​endless,” he said. “It was a labour of love, a process. It was about reaching the crucial moment in the best possible ⁠shape.”

De la Fuente said he would like to face Argentina in the final ⁠because of his close friendship with manager Lionel Scaloni, while also praising England and describing the other semi-final as a match ‌that “could easily be the World Cup final”.

“I don’t believe in the idea that finals are there to be won. They’re there to be ​enjoyed,” he said. “What’s to come could be the icing on the cake.”

Lionel Messi has spent over two decades carving a path through international football, facing ​every World Cup-winning nation from Brazil to France, but one notable opponent ‌has always been missing from the list: England.

That will ​change on Wednesday (July 15) when Argentina meet the European ⁠side in a World Cup semifinal in Atlanta, a heavyweight clash that Argentina’s FA (AFA) described on its website as “the match fate owed Messi.”

The 39-year-old Messi ‌has played Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Spain and France during his career, yet never crossed paths with England.

The ‌closest he came was a friendly in Geneva in November ‌2005, ⁠the last time the two sides faced each other.

Argentina ⁠lost 3-2 as Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, who scored twice, overturned goals from Hernan Crespo and Walter Samuel. Messi, however, missed out after being sent off ​on his international debut ‌against Hungary earlier that year.

“It’s special because they’re a great team, a powerhouse, and it’s always nice to play a team like that, a match of this kind,” Messi told reporters after ‌Argentina’s 3-1 quarterfinal victory over Switzerland in extra time ​on Saturday.

“We need to rest because we come from a lot of wear and tear, which the group ⁠obviously feels, and arrive in the best possible condition to keep doing what we’ve been doing: competing,” he added.

Argentina survived a third ‌consecutive dramatic knockout match, after defeating Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time in the round of 32 and staging a comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16 after trailing 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining.

Messi contributed with an assist for Alexis Mac Allister’s opening goal against Switzerland, but it was the first World ‌Cup match since Argentina’s 2-0 group-stage win over Poland at Qatar 2022 in ​which Messi did not score.

“England can outrun Argentina but they just have that little genius Messi. They all ⁠play for him. Everyone should be excited,” BBC pundit Micah Richards said. “Marking ⁠him is impossible because he doesn’t run back.”

The England clash will add another chapter to one of football’s most ‌emotionally charged rivalries, shaped by decades of sporting drama and political tension, while giving Messi a place in a fixture ​that has produced some of Argentina’s most enduring football memories.