‘The true protagonists’: Luis de la Fuente hails his side as Spain clinch historic second World Cup title | Football

Spain scripted history as they clinched their second FIFA World Cup title, defeating Argentina in the summit clash of the tournament. The two sides met at the New York-New Jersey Stadium on July 20th, and Spain managed to register a 1-0 win as Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the game in extra time. 

Throughout the game, Spain completely dominated Argentina; the defending champions were nowhere to be found. It was the 2010 champions who carried the ball throughout the game and dominated Argentina, ultimately helping themselves to a win. 

After the victory, Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente took centre stage and hailed the quality in his side and how the credit goes to the players who performed exceptionally well. 

“I never thought of anything like this, I always just wanted joy in moments. When you look back at this process, I would not have achieved anything without these players. The journey with this raw material, this talent. Spanish footballers, the way they compete. These players are amazing,” De La Fuente said after the game. 

“First of all I would like to thank the whole staff and everyone who worked with us. The players are the true protagonists. We feel satisfaction, pride. It’s such an honour to be the coach of these amazing players,” he added.

Fernandez’s red card ended up costing Argentina

One of the biggest moments from the game was the sending off of in-form midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder was sent off in the 93rd minute, and that is when Spain capitalised and managed to score the only goal of the game in extra time. 

Furthermore, De La Fuente hailed the performances of youngster Lamine Yamal, branding him as one of the most important parts of the team. “I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Lamine for becoming a great footballer. He’s really sacrificed for the collective good. In my opinion, he played a great World Cup. Once we finished the game, there were footballers who said, ‘Now what else is there to win?’ The answer is the next match in September. This team is relentless.” Fuente said. 

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