Spain beat Portugal 1-0 on Monday, July 6, and Lamine Yamal left with more than a result to carry into the quarterfinals. The 18-year-old winger won half of his duels with Nuno Mendes and helped Spain manage a dangerous side in a match that ended with Portugal's left back going down injured in the 55th minute.
That matters now because Spain is back in the World Cup quarterfinals and will face Belgium on Friday, July 10, with Yamal still one of the most watched players in the tournament. He already has 17 total shots and eight shots on target, both above the 95th percentile among forwards at the event, which shows how often he is getting into position even if the final attacking payoff has not fully arrived.
Yamal's route to this point has not been simple. He made Spain's 26-man roster after recovering from a hamstring injury that ended his season, and he scored his first career World Cup goal 10 minutes into Spain's second group stage match against Saudi Arabia. Since then, he has kept firing without adding another goal, a split that explains why his numbers draw attention even when the scoreboard does not always change.
Luis de la Fuente said he wanted to calm Yamal down so motivation does not turn into anxiety, and his praise after the Portugal match centered as much on discipline as on talent. De la Fuente said Spain is still waiting for the attacking version of Yamal it is used to seeing, but he also said the winger showed maturity by handling a demanding defensive job against Nuno Mendes. In other words, Spain got a version of Yamal that helped win a knockout match, even if it was not the one that usually fills the highlights.
That balance is the point going into Belgium. Yamal's presence pulls defenders toward him, and that should keep opening room for Spain whether he is the finisher or the decoy. But if Spain is going to keep moving after Friday, it needs the same player who has spent the tournament shooting often to finally turn those chances into the moment everyone has been waiting for.
