THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts - RTL A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. "This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. "There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow." Speculation about Yamal's fitness has dominated Spain's camp. The 18-year-old winger is still not ready …

Why Spain's World Cup Path Now Becomes Tricky After Draw vs ... Cape Verde delivered the biggest shock of the World Cup thus far after its draw against Spain in Atlanta on Monday.I've given my kudosto Cape Verde (an archipelago nation off the coast of Africa making its tournament debut), but now let's focus on La Roja and what's now at stakeafter this historically disappointing resultfrom Luis de la Fuente's team. Spain came out sputtering. (Photo by Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) Spain's draw now means that in order to top the group, its margin for error has practically been brought to zero. This group features two other stout squads – Uruguay will take on Saudi Arabia to conclude the first matchday of Group H – but trust me when I tell you that De La Fuente will want nothing less than two victories for their remaining fixtures in the group stage. Spain knows that topping the group is extremely important in order to avoid a major, giant obstacle in the knockout stages and Monday's result gets in the way of this objective. Because any other setbacks could set up an earlier-than-expected date with a very familiar face. If Spain doesn't finish first in its group, it …

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts | New Straits Times LOS ANGELES: A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. "This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. "There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow." Speculation about Yamal's fitness has dominated Spain's camp. The 18-year-old…

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts LOS ANGELES, United States, June 21, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. "This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. "There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow." Speculation about Yamal's fitness has dominated Spain's …

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts <p>A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday.</p><p>Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut.</p>

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts - Kuwait Times Share Options LOS ANGELES:A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. “There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.” Speculation about Yamal’s fitness has dominated Spain’s camp. The 18-ye…

How Uruguay were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup after losing … FIFA World Cup 2026 Advertisement Uruguay will play no further at the 2026 World Cup after a 1-0 defeat to Spain in Guadalajara. Alex Baena profited from another Fernando Muslera error to give the European champions a first-half lead. The error led to Marcelo Bielsa substituting the Uruguay goalkeeper at half-time. Uruguay were unable to find a way back into the match and have fallen at the first hurdle. Cape Verde's fairytale run continues as they drew with Saudi Arabia to set up a round-of-32 meeting with Argentina. Join the conversationin ourDiscusstab or email us:live@theathletic.com The World Cup action is not yet over for today — we have two final matches currently underway. They come from Group G as New Zealand take on Belgium, which you can follow live updates from onThe Athletichere. And also kicked off at the same time in the same group is Egypt vs Iran — coverage of that one is availablehere. Group secured, La Roja now turn to the last-16 in Los Angeles, where eitherAustriaorAlgeriaawait. On tonight's evidence there is plenty in reserve — the bench ran deep, withOlmo,Fabian Ruiz,Nico Williams…

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts - AL-MONITOR Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts Agence France-Presse Jun 21, 2026 Add AL-MONITOR on Google Spain's World Cup hopes rest on Lamine Yamal but he is recovering from an injury — Florencia Tan Jun A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. "This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press…

Spain target convincing win to dispel World Cup doubts - SuperSport A wounded Spain will aim to get their World Cup challenge firmly back on track when they face Saudi Arabia in Atlanta on Sunday. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his players had been stung by the criticism after they were held to a goalless draw in their opening match by Cape Verde, the African archipelago of just over half a million people who are making their World Cup debut. The European champions arrived in North America as one of the favourites, but with Lamine Yamal only able to appear as a second-half substitute on his return from injury, La Roja were unable to find the target against Cape Verde. De la Fuente, who confidently described his squad as the best in the world before the tournament, said they would show their true colors on Sunday. "This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It's going to be a completely different story," he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. "There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow." Speculation about Yamal's fitness has dominated Spain's camp. The 18-year-old winger is still not ready…