Spain face Argentina in the World Cup final Sunday
The final is set: Spain vs Argentina on Sunday
Your team plays for everything on Sunday. Argentina beat England on penalties Wednesday to book their spot opposite Spain in the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium (1). It is the biggest match in Spanish football since 2010. De la Fuente has been clear all tournament: when Spain play as a team, nobody beats them. Sunday is the test.
De la Fuente taught Scaloni in coaching school
The two managers on the touchline Sunday have history. Before he led Argentina to a World Cup, Lionel Scaloni sat in Luis de la Fuente's classroom. De la Fuente was Scaloni's professor during his coaching courses (3). Scaloni told Marca: "Destiny brings us together again." He can become the first manager since Vittorio Pozzo in 1938 to win two World Cups if Argentina lift the trophy (4). De la Fuente is 180 minutes of football from his first.
Piqué and Fabregas once tried to recruit Messi for Spain
Ginés Meléndez, the former Spain youth coach, has revealed that Gerard Piqué and Cesc Fabregas tried to convince a teenage Lionel Messi to switch allegiances and play for La Roja (2). Meléndez said Messi was already dazzling for Barcelona's academy and the two Spaniards made their pitch. He stayed with Argentina. On Sunday he stands in your team's way.
France face England for bronze on Saturday
The team Spain dismantled in the semi-final now has to pick itself up. France 0–2 Spain in the last four confirmed what your team is capable of (6). Didier Deschamps' side face England in the third-place playoff Saturday, a fixture neither manager wanted (5). Mbappé had a quiet semi-final. The French press did not hold back.
Fan reactions
Spain supporters are already doing the math. One fan on r/worldcup pointed out that no World Cup winner has ever conceded fewer than two goals in a tournament, your team has let in just one, with a game to spare. The defensive record has become a talking point in its own right. The fewest goals ever conceded by a WC winning team is 2. Meanwhile, Arsenal fans on r/realmadrid are tracking a move for Spain goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez, but Sunday is all that matters right now.
Sources
- 1. bbc.co.uk — Keep calm and carry on - Spain trust team identity to deliver World Cup
- 2. rmcsport.bfmtv.com — "Nous aurions gagné 2 ou 3 Coupe du monde de plus": comment Piqué et Fabregas ont tenté de voler Messi à l'Argentine
- 3. rmcsport.bfmtv.com — Espagne-Argentine: "Le destin nous réunit à nouveau", le surprenant lien entre De La Fuente et Scaloni avant leurs retrouvailles en finale de Coupe du monde
- 4. marca.com — ¿Por qué Scaloni puede ser el mejor entrenador de la historia Mundial a los 48 años?
- 5. soccernews.com — Prediction: France vs England
- 6. actu.fr — France-Angleterre : trois raisons de regarder (quand même) la petite finale de la Coupe du monde samedi