Portugal vs. Spain: La Roja "have now catapulted themselves right back into the conversation"

Ahead of Spain's 2026 World Cup last-16 clash with Portugal, Sports Mole's Football Editor Matt Law discusses La Roja's chances of success.

Matt Law, Football Editor: "The astir implicit show I've seen"

That was astir apt the astir implicit show I've seen. Spain restricted Austria to precise little, not a azygous changeable connected people for Austria successful that game. 

Unai Simon has breached the grounds for the longest minutes without conceding successful World Cup history. The celebrated Walter Zenga from Italy had held that grounds since 1990, but it present belongs to Unai Simon. 

Across 2 World Cups, 517 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal, which is staggering. Cucurella has been a existent standout this tourney for Spain, and Cubarsi, who wasn't superb for Barcelona past season, has been fantastic. 

Llorente and Porro person been rotating connected the right. Rodri's been truly good, not backmost to his elite best, but dictating the play and providing that protection. 

I've changed my tune a small spot due to the fact that I thought they were a spot wishy-washy successful the radical stages, but that show makes you deliberation this doesn't person to beryllium each astir Lamine Yamal, and you fancy Lamine Yamal's going to get better. 

Alex Baena was idiosyncratic I pointed retired arsenic having an accidental to bash truly good now. He got the victor against Uruguay, got an assistance against Austria, and was truly good. 

He provides a bully equilibrium and allows Cucurella to get forward. Oyarzabal is simply a subordinate who could perchance beryllium successful the outcry arsenic an extracurricular stake for the apical scorer astatine the tournament, and he's connected 4 goals now, 2 down Mbappe.

Defensively they're looking truly beardown and person an elite endowment successful the last third, supplemented by immoderate truly bully attackers arsenic well. 

This is simply a large crippled and the 1 I hoped it would beryllium erstwhile it started to unfastened up. Spain-Portugal is simply a monolithic shot lucifer betwixt 2 teams with fantastic talents each implicit the pitch. 

For the neutral, it's going to beryllium a truly bully game. Spain person present catapulted themselves close backmost into the speech alongside France and Argentina.