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Following his side's qualification to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said 18-year-old Lamine Yamal played "one of the most important" matches of his life and will help him grow a lot.
Yamal, hailed as the next big football sensation who will take the baton from Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, featured in a clash of generations versus Portugal, with the 41-year-old icon Cristiano Ronaldo on the other side. It was Yamal's side which eked out a 1-0 win courtesy of a late strike from Mikel Merino, shattering Cristiano's dream of lifting the trophy as the tournament marks his last-ever FIFA WC. Speaking after the match, de la Fuente said as quoted by Reuters, "For me, Lamine has played one of the most important matches of his life. Beyond whether he was brilliant or not, for me , it has been one of the matches that will help him grow the most." Lamine arrived at the World Cup with a hamstring injury and started the campaign on the bench, and was drafted in the second group stage match against Saudi Arabia, in which he scored a goal. Against Portugal, Lamine had three attempts on goal, including two on target and kept the 2010 champion side's attacking juices flowing. The coach also said that Lamine did a "spectacular job". "He suffered for the team, he defended for the team. When he had the ball, he always created doubt and uncertainty for the opponent. He generated a lot of fear. We still need Lamine in this World Cup to keep growing and delivering these kinds of performances," he added. Spain will face the winners of the US-Belgium round of 16 clash. On his preference for the opponent in the QFs, the coach said on a concluding note, "Any opponent you face at this stage will have done enough to deserve being there, and whoever comes next will be an even greater challenge than those we have encountered up to now," he said. (ANI)
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