{"id":53737,"date":"2026-07-11T12:50:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/53737\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T12:50:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T12:50:46","slug":"is-yamal-right-to-be-confident-about-knocking-france-out-of-the-world-cup-day-30-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/53737\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Yamal right to be confident about knocking France out of the World Cup? Day 30 recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

Day 30 of the World Cup saw Spain set up an appealing semi-final clash with France, a meeting of arguably the two outstanding teams of the tournament so far.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s teenage winger Lamine Yamal feels he and his team can approach that game \u201cwithout any fear\u201d having beaten France in the past two meetings \u2014 and having overcome Portugal and Belgium in the past two rounds, with Mikel Merino coming off the bench to score the winner on both occasions.<\/p>\n

For a second successive game, extra time was looming when Spain coach Luis de la Fuente sent on Merino. Against Portugal, the Arsenal midfielder struck in stoppage time. This time he made it three minutes earlier, pouncing on a mistake by Belgium\u2019s substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens to secure a 2-1 win in Inglewood, Calif.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the Colombian Football Federation strongly condemned death threats directed at their forward Jaminton Campaz<\/a> after its defeat by Switzerland, while Portugal introduced its new coach Jorge Jesus, who has taken over from Roberto Martinez as coach of Cristiano Ronaldo and Co following their elimination at the quarter-final stage.<\/p>\n

And before today\u2019s quarterfinals, England captain Harry Kane spoke about the \u2018surreal\u2019 experience of playing golf with U.S. President Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Matchday 30 results
Spain 2-1 Belgium<\/p>\n

Harry Kane’s golf game with President Trump | World Cup Daily Briefing<\/p>\n

Felipe Cardenas and Luke Bosher<\/p>\n

Is Yamal right to have total confidence in beating France?<\/p>\n

The phrase Lamine Yamal uttered was \u201csin ningun miedo\u201d \u2014 without any fear. It applies to the way he plays, but in this case he was talking about how he and his Spain team regard the prospect of Tuesday\u2019s World Cup semi-final against France.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to it,\u201d the 18-year-old Barcelona winger told Spanish broadcaster RTVE. \u201cSince the World Cup started, everyone has been waiting for this match. We\u2019re about to watch two of the best national teams in the world \u2014 but without any fear. If anyone can confidently face France, it\u2019s us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong words, backed up by Spanish victories in their past two meetings: 2-1 in the European Championship semi-final in 2024 and 5-4 in a wild UEFA Nations League semi-final in June last year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Lamine Yamal will face Kylian Mbappe on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. (Matthias Hangst \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

But that was a different France two years ago. France didn\u2019t play well at Euro 2024. It scraped its way to the semi-finals, scoring just three goals (two own goals and a penalty) in five games, and was then beaten by a Spain team which had found a winning formula under De la Fuente.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s 2-1 victory over Belgium yesterday took its unbeaten run to 36 matches since March 2024. Its performances over the past two years have been outstanding. But this will be perhaps the first time on that run when it faces a team with an alternative claim to be the best in the world.<\/p>\n

It promises to be a high-quality semi-final. Spain\u2019s ability to control possession is second to none at this tournament. But so too, with Kylian Mbappe in outstanding form, is France\u2019s firepower.<\/p>\n

Campaz threats a reminder criticism can go too far<\/p>\n

Rudi Garcia didn\u2019t mince his words. In flash interviews after Belgium\u2019s defeat by Spain, he said that \u201cagainst this team, you can\u2019t give away gifts or make mistakes\u201d. \u201cUnfortunately,\u201d the Belgium coach said, \u201cwe have been eliminated on that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gifts? Mistakes? That pointed straight at a spillage from substitute goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 88th minute, punished ruthlessly by Merino for the decisive goal. Lammens had only been on the field 17 minutes, having replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois. It was a brutal introduction to the World Cup for a 24-year-old goalkeeper making only his third appearance for the national team, having started last season at Royal Antwerp before joining Manchester United.<\/p>\n

These things happen. Lammens is young and talented enough to recover from it and not to be defined by it. He also comes from a football culture where a sense of perspective prevails when it comes to expectations and setbacks.<\/p>\n

It was far more disturbing yesterday to read of death threats directed at Colombia forward Jaminton Campaz and his family after he missed a chance in the final minutes of the round-of-16 clash with Switzerland on Tuesday. Switzerland went on to win a penalty shootout.<\/p>\n

The Colombian Football Federation issued a statement condemning the threats and calling on the nation\u2019s attorney general\u2019s office to \u201cprosecute and punish\u201d those responsible as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

The story has particularly chilling undertones given that Colombia defender Andres Escobar was shot dead on his return home after scoring an own goal in a defeat by the United States at the 1994 World Cup, a tragedy explored in great depth last week by Felipe Cardenas in a poignant, powerful interview with Escobar\u2019s brother Santiago<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The emotions football generates are what makes it the biggest sport in the world. They also need to be kept in perspective when it comes to a dangerous tendency to take out frustrations \u2014 sometimes what feels like the frustrations of an entire country \u2014 on an individual. For Campaz to be faced with death threats is appalling.<\/p>\n

The criticism directed at Christian Pulisic this week has been mild by comparison, but again it reflects a scapegoat tendency. The Pulisic pile-on in some quarters \u2014 led by former U.S. national team players who should know better \u2014 has been unedifying, questioning his commitment and casting him as the reason for a 4-1 defeat by Belgium.<\/p>\n

This was the way of it in England for years after World Cup exits, raging at referees, opponents or players like David Beckham<\/a> and Wayne Rooney, who were public enemy No. 1 in 1998 and 2006 respectively after being sent off en route to agonising defeats in World Cup knockout games.<\/p>\n

In some ways, that is seen as the making of Beckham, the beginning of the journey that ended up with him as a national treasure. But the redemption story does not justify the hostility he faced in those lonely months after the 1998 World Cup.<\/p>\n

The nature of sport and the impassioned discourse around it is such that mistakes and disappointments will be scrutinised and highlighted by media and public alike. But beneath it all there must be a recognition that, whether it is Lammens spilling a shot, Campaz missing an opportunity, Pulisic failing to hit the heights expected while carrying an injury, or any of the various coaches lambasted for their team\u2019s performance, these are people at or near the top of the game trying their damnedest to succeed.<\/p>\n

However much any of us care, nobody feels failure and disappointment more acutely than those at the centre of it.<\/p>\n

Is this a sign Ronaldo will play on?<\/p>\n

The most attention-grabbing line from Jorge Jesus\u2019 first news conference as Portugal coach on Friday was his statement, in response to questions about Cristiano Ronaldo\u2019s future, that \u201cthe past and the name don\u2019t matter to me\u201d \u2014 citing the way that he cut short Brazilian superstar Neymar\u2019s time at Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.<\/p>\n

But anyone imagining that this signifies the end of Ronaldo\u2019s international career should read on. The coach said he had found the Portugal captain \u201cincredibly easy to work with\u201d last season at Al Nassr, where they won the Saudi Pro League, and that he intended to speak to him \u201cto find out what he wants to do\u201d. \u201cIf he is in a position to be called up,\u201d Jesus said, \u201cI will do so.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a little surprising when Martinez backed Ronaldo upon taking the Portugal job after the forward\u2019s struggles at the 2022 World Cup \u2014\u00a0and far more so when Martinez doubled down after Ronaldo\u2019s hugely disappointing showing at Euro 2024. But for Jesus to suggest the situation is unchanged in 2026, given that Ronaldo will be 42 by the time of next summer\u2019s UEFA Nations League finals and 43 by the time of Euro 2028, is certain to raise eyebrows.<\/p>\n

A personal opinion: Ronaldo performed better at this World Cup than some of the more gleeful obituaries suggested. He scored three goals (two against Uzbekistan and one, a penalty, against Croatia) and there were moments \u2014 flashes \u2014 when he looked sharp, as well as other times when he looked blunt. It is not wild to suggest that Portugal\u2019s hopes of reaching next summer\u2019s Nations League finals might be best served by retaining Ronaldo for the six qualifying matches in the autumn.<\/p>\n

But sooner rather than later, Portugal have to move on Ronaldo. And the difficulty here is that, for all his many achievements and his status as one of the game\u2019s all-time greats, and notwithstanding his strike rate through the past two European Championship and World Cup qualifying campaigns (and a more impressive contribution to last summer\u2019s Nations League triumph), it is hard to escape the feeling that the ideal time was after the last tournament or indeed the one before that.<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t the ideal situation be to give Ronaldo one last game for Portugal on home soil \u2014 whether a Nations League qualifier in the autumn or perhaps a friendly match beyond that \u2014 and to move on? His status and his achievements merit reverence, but they don\u2019t merit unconditional indulgence forever.<\/p>\n

What to know about Saturday\u2019s games<\/p>\n

There has been plenty of excited chatter about a potential England vs. Argentina semi-final, but Norway and Switzerland will have something to say about that.<\/p>\n

Both of Saturday\u2019s quarterfinals see a previous winner (in Argentina\u2019s case a multiple winner and the reigning champion) pitted against a team trying to reach the semi-finals for the first time.<\/p>\n

England vs. Norway is a fascinating matchup. There is a temptation to characterise it as Harry Kane vs. Erling Haaland. Norway coach Stale Solbakken was keen to spell out at yesterday\u2019s pre-match news conference that this was a team game, rather than just a contest between two outstanding centre-forwards, but he added: \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Kane is the matchwinner No. 1 for England and Erling is the No. 1 matchwinner for Norway.\u201d<\/p>\n

For England, there is the prospect of reaching a fourth semi-final in five major tournaments. But Norway\u2019s victory over Brazil last time out, in which they dominated possession and won their physical battles, should serve as a warning to Kane and his team-mates.<\/p>\n

As for the later game in Kansas City, Switzerland\u2019s players will know there are weaknesses in this Argentina team, having watched their unconvincing 3-2 victories over both Cape Verde and Egypt in the knockout stage. But there is also Lionel Messi. And if they are to defeat the holders and reach their first World Cup semi-final, they will need to find a way to stop him.<\/p>\n

Saturday July 11
Norway vs. England at Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) \u2014 2pm PT, 5pm ET, 10pm BST
Argentina vs. Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City) \u2014 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Day 30 of the World Cup saw Spain set up an appealing semi-final clash with France, a meeting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":53738,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[7579,4027,1376,11350,2881,19216,751,3937,2266,187,389,19215,9154,19214,15384,99,2265,2383,5852,556,865,9507,19076,5853,31,200,16928,1066,19213,19211,2264,2938,9508,11024,1727,4240,1726,100,5280,1437,2217,9506,1743,6110,2192,17,9873,3448,12048,2251,3691,6530,19212],"class_list":["post-53737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-algeria","tag-argentina","tag-australia","tag-austria","tag-belgium","tag-bosnia-herzegovina","tag-brazil","tag-canada","tag-cape-verde","tag-champions-league","tag-colombia","tag-congo-dr","tag-croatia","tag-curacao","tag-czech-republic","tag-ecuador","tag-egypt","tag-england","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-france","tag-germany","tag-ghana","tag-haiti","tag-international-football","tag-iran","tag-iraq","tag-ivory-coast","tag-japan","tag-jordan","tag-mexico-mens-national-team","tag-morocco","tag-netherlands","tag-new-zealand","tag-norway","tag-panama","tag-paraguay","tag-portugal","tag-premier-league","tag-qatar","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-scotland","tag-senegal","tag-soccer","tag-south-africa","tag-south-korea","tag-spain","tag-sweden","tag-switzerland","tag-tunisia","tag-turkey","tag-uruguay","tag-us-mens-national-team","tag-uzbekistan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53737\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}