Affable and well-mannered, 65-year-old Luis de la Fuente is not a coach for hyperbole. In need of another moment of magic in the greenhouse of a stadium in Los Angeles, the Spain head coach threw on his ace in his pack. Two minutes later, Mikel Merino was a late-show match-winner once again, pouncing with a substitute spring in his step to overcome Belgium's resilient showing. Yet **** uming De la Fuente's words of wisdom for the midfielder were awe-inspiring would be misguided.
"The truth is… he told me very little," Merino said after his 88th-minute quarter-final winner on Friday, witnessed by his two-month-old son Marco. "He [De la Fuente] told me it's something about [being a] number 10. And then when the match ended, he told me I was incredible – and those were the two things he commented to me."
Merino has a habit of scoring in critical moments for his country; he scored the winner in the quarter-final win over Germany at Euro 2024. A year later, he was on the scoresheet in the mesmeric 5-4 Nations League victory against France and, obviously, he also notched the winner against Portugal last Monday. It speaks to Spain's depth upon depth of midfield talent – Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Pedri all featured before Merino on Friday – that the **** nal man is accepting of, without complaint, his role in the squad.
Yet Spain, as acknowledged by star player Lamine Yamal who – disconcertingly but also excitingly – is yet to fully fire despite flashes of magic, were not at their best in Inglewood.
"We didn't play very well but hey, we were right there with them and we held up well," said Yamal, who turns 19 on Monday. "I think if we had kept the ball a bit better, we would have created a lot more and been more dangerous."
"The truth is… he told me very little," Merino said after his 88th-minute quarter-final winner on Friday, witnessed by his two-month-old son Marco. "He [De la Fuente] told me it's something about [being a] number 10. And then when the match ended, he told me I was incredible – and those were the two things he commented to me."
Merino has a habit of scoring in critical moments for his country; he scored the winner in the quarter-final win over Germany at Euro 2024. A year later, he was on the scoresheet in the mesmeric 5-4 Nations League victory against France and, obviously, he also notched the winner against Portugal last Monday. It speaks to Spain's depth upon depth of midfield talent – Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo and Pedri all featured before Merino on Friday – that the **** nal man is accepting of, without complaint, his role in the squad.
Yet Spain, as acknowledged by star player Lamine Yamal who – disconcertingly but also excitingly – is yet to fully fire despite flashes of magic, were not at their best in Inglewood.
"We didn't play very well but hey, we were right there with them and we held up well," said Yamal, who turns 19 on Monday. "I think if we had kept the ball a bit better, we would have created a lot more and been more dangerous."
4 months ago
