Spain is 90 minutes from a World Cup trophy. The team hasn’t lost in two years. It has conceded one goal all tournament. On paper, this looks like a coronation waiting to happen.
But paper doesn’t tell you about the 40-year-old goalkeeper who made grown men cry. Or the Belgian backup who came off the bench and nearly forced extra time. Or the quarterfinal winner scored by a guy who already did the same thing in the previous round.
Spain faces Argentina or England on Sunday with a 37-match unbeaten streak. That streak almost ended about four times already.
Cape Verde Showed Spain What Pressure Actually Looks Like
Spain opened its World Cup as a massive favorite against Cape Verde, a team making its tournament debut. Nobody told Cape Verde’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Vozinha. He stopped shots from Ferran Torres, Pedri and Aymeric Laporte in a wild stretch before halftime. He cried after the final whistle. His team held Spain to 0-0.
Cape Verde coach Pedro Leitão Brito called the result proof of his nation’s resilience. Defender Steven Moreira called it a dream. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente called it a lack of sharpness near goal. He was right. His team dominated possession, created chances and finished none of them. That draw forced Spain to learn a lesson on Day 1: reputation doesn’t score goals.
Uruguay and Portugal Made Every Half Count
Spain bounced back by beating Saudi Arabia 4-0. Then Uruguay showed up. Álex Baena scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Estadio Akron, and Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera didn’t return after halftime after letting a ball bounce past him. Uruguay also lost midfielder Manuel Ugarte to a stretcher. Spain held on. First place in the group. Uruguay went home.
Portugal gave Spain the same problem in the round of 16 — a 1-0 game where one mistake would have flipped everything. Spain survived again. At some point, these tight wins stop looking like luck and start looking like a habit.
Belgium Got Within 10 Minutes of Breaking Everything
The quarterfinal felt different from the start. Fabián Ruiz scored after Thibaut Courtois saved Dani Olmo’s shot, but the rebound bounced off Timothy Castagne and in. Belgium answered 11 minutes later when Charles De Ketelaere headed past Pau Cubarsí. That goal snapped Spain’s 650-minute scoreless streak in World Cup play, a run dating back to 2022.
Belgium kept pushing after halftime. Maxim De Cuyper hit the side-netting. The team wanted a handball on Rodri. No call. Then Courtois went down with an apparent thigh injury and left in tears during the 71st minute. Backup keeper Senne Lammens came in cold.
Spain broke through in the 88th minute. Cubarsí launched a long shot. Lammens couldn’t handle it. Mikel Merino got to the loose ball first and lifted it in. Merino had already scored the winner against Portugal. He did it again. That goal separated Spain from extra time and sent them to the semifinals.
One bounce. One backup keeper. One late reaction. That’s how close Belgium came to ending Spain’s run.
France Watched Spain at Its Best
The semifinal against France was the first time Spain looked like the team the stats say they are. A penalty in the 21st minute. A second goal before the hour mark. Kylian Mbappé came in with eight goals and three assists. France arrived without trailing at any point in the tournament. Spain held them to zero.
That performance didn’t require a desperate last-minute winner or a penalty shootout. Spain controlled the game from start to finish. It was the most complete the team has looked all tournament.
So what does that mean for Sunday? It means Spain has already proven they can win pretty, ugly or somewhere in between. They frustrated against Cape Verde. They hung on against Uruguay and Portugal. They survived Belgium on a late scramble. They dominated France. Whatever challenge Argentina or England brings, Spain has already seen something similar. The question is whether they have one more version left in them.
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