Kolkata: A little over 24 hours remain before Spain stand on the edge of an afternoon that could change how a football team is remembered forever. Strange, then, to think that their journey began with a scoreless draw against Cape Verde, 27 shots ricocheting into frustration and a creeping sense that perhaps beauty alone would not be enough. Weeks later, that evening feels less like a warning and more a footnote.
Spain have spent the rest of this World Cup doing what the finest teams invariably do —making complexity appear effortless, control feel inevitable and victory seem less like an event and rather the consequence of playing the game better than everyone else. Also instructive was the way Spain stuck to their guns despite the Cape Verde setback. There was no tactical overreaction, no abandonment of principles. Luis de la Fuente’s players simply believed that the process would eventually produce the results. It did.
Since that opening draw, goals have felt like a mathematical certainty than moments of inspiration. Saudi Arabia were behind after 10 minutes. France succumbed inside 22. Austria were trailing after 36. Uruguay lasted until the 42nd minute. On the rare occasions Spain needed something extraordinary, Mikel Merino emerged as the emergency solution, the super sub scoring dramatic late winners against Belgium and Portugal. Even then, there was remarkably little sense of disorganisation. Spain never looked like a team hurried, or hanging on for survival.
That confidence has not appeared overnight. It stems from the foundations laid over the past five years — victory in the 2023 Nations League and Euro 2024, and an unbeaten run stretching to 37 matches. Each of those games reinforced the belief that Spain possess something more durable than momentum. And the semi-final demolition of France served as its clearest demonstration yet.
{{/usCountry}}That confidence has not appeared overnight. It stems from the foundations laid over the past five years — victory in the 2023 Nations League and Euro 2024, and an unbeaten run stretching to 37 matches. Each of those games reinforced the belief that Spain possess something more durable than momentum. And the semi-final demolition of France served as its clearest demonstration yet.
{{/usCountry}}France arrived with footballers capable of turning transitions into devastation. Instead, Spain reduced them to spectators. The midfield triangle of Rodri, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo dictated the tempo with clinical precision while Pedri’s influence between the lines ensured that France spent much of that evening chasing shadows. Spain didn’t merely win possession, they weaponised it by circulating the ball with relentless calm until spaces were created. That’s after France ran into Spain’s defence.
Across seven matches, Spain have conceded just one goal, Belgium being the only side to breach their defence. They have allowed their opponents an expected goals figure of just 0.31 per game, according to Opta — the lowest at this tournament and joint-lowest recorded at any World Cup since 1966.
These numbers are not accidental. In Marc Cucurella, Spain have found one of the tournament’s defining defenders. Aymeric Laporte provides vital experience and authority while 19-year-old Pau Cubarsi already plays with the composure of a veteran. Pedro Porro completes a back four that rarely appears rushed or loses shape. “Great teams are the ones that dominate both penalty areas,” Cucurella said earlier in the tournament. It sounds simple because Spain have made defending look deceptively simple.
There is a stereotype of Spain though, that of a side that believes in endless possession and intricate passing triangles. But this team has evolved much beyond that. The seamlessness with which they operate is attributed to the length of time the players have spent with each other, living and playing as a collective.
“Some time ago, we began to emphasise a word that gave us a great deal of security, confidence and strength — family’. We want the Spanish national team to be a family,” de la Fuente had told Reuters before the World Cup.
“From the first player to the last, we all work with that idea in mind and that makes me feel very calm, very serene. It makes me work knowing that I am in good company and that gives me a great deal of confidence.”
Spain has unfailingly channelled that confidence in this World Cup. They also have the squad to pull it off. Barcelona’s core remains the heartbeat of the side through Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Ferran Torres, Gavi, Pedri and Cubarsi while Rodri’s education under Pep Guardiola elevated him into perhaps the world’s finest midfielder.
Like the Spanish team which won the 2010 World Cup, this side too has remarkable technical quality. European champions like them as well, with an indomitable spirit transcending club rivalries and deeper geopolitical complexities.
It presents us yet again a Spain side offering something rare — a football language committed to the collective. Disciplined, dedicated, unwavering in their belief, and with the quiet assurance of a team that seems to exist a few passes ahead of everyone else. Perhaps that explains the extraordinary calm with which Spain have navigated this World Cup. They never appear hurried because they trust the system, and one another.