SOCCER: Spain face toughest World Cup test against Belgium, coach says

LOS ANGELES – Spain coach Luis de la Fuente expects Belgium to provide his team's toughest challenge yet when the two sides meet in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals on Friday.

Spain reached the last eight without conceding a goal and secured their quarterfinal spot with a 1-0 victory over Portugal. Considered one of the tournament favorites, Spain have impressed with their balanced style of play, combining strong possession, disciplined defending, and an effective attack.

"Tomorrow's game will be the hardest that we've faced to this point," de la Fuente told reporters at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday.

He praised Belgium's experienced squad, saying many of their players have won major honors with some of Europe's biggest clubs.

"Belgium is a very powerful team. These are players who are used to winning. It's going to be a challenging match," he said.

The winner of Friday's quarterfinal will face France in Tuesday's semifinal in Dallas after Les Bleus defeated Morocco 2-0 behind goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.

Although de la Fuente acknowledged that France deserved their victory, he emphasized that Spain's attention remains solely on Belgium.

"Trust me, we are only thinking about Belgium tomorrow," he said.

Spain will once again rely on its disciplined defense while looking for attacking inspiration from 18-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal and striker Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored four goals in the tournament.

Yamal, regarded as one of the brightest young talents in world soccer, has scored once at this World Cup. Despite that, de la Fuente praised the teenager's growing maturity, highlighting his defensive work in Spain's victory over Portugal while expressing confidence in his ability to make an impact in attack.

"He's going to perform on the attacking front," de la Fuente said.

The Spain coach added that his team's success has been built on collective effort rather than individual performances, stressing that every player has prioritized the team.

Quoting a saying attributed to Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, de la Fuente said: "What is bad for the hive is also bad for the bee." -Reporting by Joe Brock; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters