SOCCER: Lamine's great World Cup day still to come, says Spain's De la Fuente

DALLAS, Texas — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has urged teenage star Lamine Yamal to enjoy the biggest match of his young career, saying the forward's defining FIFA World Cup moment could come in Tuesday's semifinal against France — or even in the tournament final.

Yamal celebrated his 19th birthday on the eve of Spain's semifinal in Dallas. De la Fuente said the young Barcelona forward should focus on enjoying the occasion rather than feeling pressure.

"I've told him there is no need to worry. Let him enjoy himself," De la Fuente said. "I'm sure Lamine's great World Cup day is still to come. I hope it's tomorrow and, if not, then in the final, if we can get there."

Yamal has gradually regained his form after entering the World Cup while recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered in late April after converting a penalty for Barcelona. He has scored one goal in the tournament and has yet to record an assist.

Spain defeated France 5-4 in last year's UEFA Nations League semifinal, but De la Fuente expects a much different challenge this time after his team nearly squandered a 5-1 lead in the closing minutes of that match.

"We learn a lot from those matches, as they will have done," he said. "We will try to repeat the situations that worked in our favor and avoid the ones that didn't."

The Spain coach described the semifinal as a clash of contrasting styles and warned his players about France's dangerous counterattacks.

Asked how Spain plans to contain France's attacking trio of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise, De la Fuente said his coaching staff has thoroughly studied the opposition.

"We've analyzed them very, very thoroughly," he said. "They have players of exceptional quality, but so do we. The key is to impose our own style while neutralizing the opposition. The more balanced team is usually closer to winning, although that's never a guarantee."

De la Fuente also believes France has improved since the teams last met and dismissed suggestions from France coach Didier Deschamps that Spain enters the match as the favorite.

"Being told you are favorites or not means nothing," he said. "We are both great teams, just like the other semifinal. Whether we're favorites or not is completely irrelevant."

Before kickoff, De la Fuente said his message to his players will be simple: enjoy the opportunity and believe they can reach the World Cup final.

"I tell the players that we need to enjoy ourselves because we're in a situation that might never happen again," he said. "We have to be ourselves, respect the opponent's strengths, and believe we can advance. We'll give everything we have to reach the final." -Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters