Luis de la Fuente Hails Spain's Teamwork After Merino Winner Sends La Roja Into World Cup Semi-Finals

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente hailed the strength of his entire squad after Mikel Merino's late winner secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Belgium and sent La Roja into the FIFA World Cup semi-finals for only the second time in the nation's history.

Spain once again left it late, with Arsenal midfielder Merino continuing his remarkable impact from the bench by scoring the decisive goal to book a last-four meeting with France. The victory matches Spain's best-ever World Cup run since their triumphant campaign in South Africa in 2010.

"We had only achieved this once before, in 2010, and we won that World Cup," De la Fuente said, speaking in his post-match press conference. "It is already something historic. We are happy to get here, but we want more."

Much of the post-match discussion focused on De la Fuente's bold team selection. Pedri started on the bench, Fabian Ruiz came into the side and opened the scoring, while Merino once again made the decisive contribution after coming on as a substitute.

The Spain coach, however, insisted the focus should remain on the collective rather than individual decisions.

"Above all, what I want to highlight is that the important thing is the collective," he said.

"For me, it is not important who starts the game. Everyone has their responsibility and their task, and they perform it very well. Whether you play from the beginning or only the last five minutes, as Mikel Merino did today, it is equally important."

Explaining the decision to leave Pedri out of the starting XI, De la Fuente said it was simply a tactical adjustment.

"We wanted to give another touch to the team at a moment when we needed Fabian's contribution. He is another exceptional player. Then Pedri came on with freshness in the final 25 minutes and helped us keep possession higher up the pitch."

With another tactical switch paying dividends, De la Fuente was asked whether nights like this reinforced his reputation as one of international football's leading coaches.

The 64-year-old preferred to focus on preparation rather than results.

"My goal every day is to become a better coach," he said.

"It is always easier to analyse decisions afterwards. If Fabian had not scored and Merino had not scored, perhaps we would be saying something different. But our decisions are made after great analysis, great knowledge of the opponent and, above all, a deep understanding of our own players and what each one can give us."

He also rejected any suggestion that leaving players such as Pedri, Merino or Martín Zubimendi out of the starting lineup reflected negatively on them.

"Pedri is one of the best players in the world. Fabian is also one of the best players in the world. It is unfair not to value players like Merino, Zubimendi or Gavi. They are all capable of making the difference."

De la Fuente also credited the atmosphere within the squad, saying mutual respect has become one of Spain's greatest strengths.

Asked whether substitutes ever become frustrated with their roles, he smiled.

"That would actually be bad news," he replied.

"We select not only the best footballers but also the best people. They understand perfectly what it means to play for the national team. Respect is the foundation of everything we have built. If anything should surprise us, it is disrespect. Fortunately, we do not have that."

The winning goal once again came from Merino whose versatility drew glowing praise from his manager.,

"I think Mikel Merino is a very complete footballer," De la Fuente said.

"He can play as a holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder, a number eight, a number 10, even as a striker. He understands the game exceptionally well, interprets every situation calmly and has tremendous commitment, generosity and solidarity. Whatever role you ask of him, he performs at the highest level."

Spain also saw their remarkable defensive record end after Belgium found the net, bringing Unai Simón's historic run of World Cup clean-sheet minutes to a close.

Rather than dwell on the record, De la Fuente praised the goalkeeper while emphasising it was the product of collective effort.

"A goalkeeper cannot achieve those numbers alone," he said. "This is thanks to the team's defensive work, commitment and solidarity. None of this is a coincidence. It comes from work, work and more work."

Attention now turns to a heavyweight semi-final against France, a fixture many consider worthy of a World Cup final.

De la Fuente acknowledged the challenge but believes Spain have every reason to be confident.

"It is a super game between two of the best teams in the world," he said.

"We face it with the utmost respect because France are a great team. But we also feel capable of beating anyone. That confidence is not because of what has happened today. I would have said exactly the same a few weeks ago. It comes from my belief in this group, in this team and in the potential we have."

With Spain's unbeaten run continuing and another inspired contribution from their deep squad proving decisive, De la Fuente's side now stands just one victory away from a second World Cup final.