According to AS, Spain coach De la Fuente reflected on the World Cup final. He stated that he understood Argentina's tactical arrangements, especially given that they posed almost no threat throughout the match.
Holding the World Cup trophy, Spain's newly crowned world champions continued to give media interviews this week. On Thursday, head coach De la Fuente visited the editorial office of AS to reflect on the tournament. He also mentioned that he "felt an almost pure joy" when Ferran Torres scored, and took the opportunity to discuss Spain's 1-0 victory over Argentina in the final.
"I feel we are significantly stronger."
De la Fuente said: “I don’t need to rewatch that final, but I felt we were clearly stronger… I completely understand why they wanted to go to penalties, especially after Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the 90th minute. We knew we had to play our own game. That’s the message I conveyed to the players: ‘Play our style, because they are more familiar with their own style of play, and we can’t let them do that.’”
Argentina played a lackluster game last Sunday, with dismal statistics: they didn't get their first shot until the 117th minute of extra time, committed a staggering 25 fouls—the highest number since the 26 fouls in the World Cup final against France in 2022—and Messi didn't even touch the ball once in the opponent's penalty area… Argentina's dream of securing their third star was shattered, while Spain emerged victorious.
De la Fuente also said: "Four years ago, I didn't expect to go this far in this 2026 event, but the road is made step by step. With the conditions we had at the time, we will fight to the end."
