De la Fuente reveals why he took off Lamine Yamal in Spain's defeat to Portugal
Luis de la Fuente says he brought off a 'tired' Lamine Yamal in Spain's Nations League final defeat to Portugal as he needed to inject some 'energy' into his side.
Sunday night's showpiece had been widely billed as a meeting between five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and 17-year-old Barcelona sensation Yamal – one of the frontrunners for this year's prize.
And it was Ronaldo's Portugal who eventually prevailed, but it took extra-time and penalties to decide the victors after an absorbing contest at Munich's Allianz Arena.
Nuno Mendes cancelled out Martin Zubimendi's opener with a superb low strike beyond Unai Simon in the 26th minute, only for Mikel Oyarzabal to restor Spain's advantage at the end of a frantic first half.
But Ronaldo outmuscled Marc Cucurella to find an equaliser for the Portuguese just past the hour mark before Roberto Martinez's men came out on top via a nerve-shredding shootout.
An emotional Ronaldo was pictured in floods of tears as Portugal secured the title for a second time, six years after winning the inaugural tournament in 2019.
Meanwhile, Yamal and Co were lift to lick their wounds, with the teenager clearly less than impressed to be taken off for Yeremy Pino midway through extra-time in Germany.
'We wanted to give the game a bit more energy,' De la Fuente told reporters at his post-match press conference when quizzed on the decision.
'The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting.'
De la Fuente believes Yamal was showing signs of fatigue after a long and gruelling season, in which the youngster had made 62 appearances in all competitions for club and country.
'He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year,' the Spanish head coach added.
'He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly.
'Today, we understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy.'
LAMINE YAMAL EXPLODES AFTER BEING SUBBED OFF!😡🚨This was the Spanish player's reaction after being taken out by Luis de la Fuente—he threw his bottle and clearly showed his frustration with the decision!❌What could've happened if he had stayed on the pitch?🤔#LamineYamal pic.twitter.com/IkkHGPsBgj — MARCA in English 🇺🇸 (@MARCAinENGLISH) June 8, 2025
Ronaldo urged fans to give Yamal the time and space he needs to develop at his own pace prior to the clash.
Speaking in the mixed zone after Portugal's victory, he repeated the sentiment, while backing the winger to enjoy a 'very long career' at the top.
'He's going to win a lot of titles, both collective and individual,' the 40-year-old Portuguese captain told Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
'He's only 17 years old… I repeat: he's a kid with a lot of room for improvement.
'He's a phenomenon, but we have to leave him alone, that's what I ask.
'He has a very long career ahead of him and will surely win the Nations League many times.' More Trending
On De la Fuente's decision to bring Yamal off, Ronaldo replied: 'Your coach is a phenomenon.
'He knows better than I do what the team needs… I'm not a coach.
'He's already won several titles with Spain. What more do you want me to say?
'If the coach made the decision, it was because he thought it was the best thing to improve his team.'
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Football fan dies after falling from stand during Portugal v Spain final
MORE: Portugal vs Spain TV channel and live stream: How to watch Nations League final in the UK tonight
MORE: Franck Ribery hits back at Cristiano Ronaldo over Ballon d'Or claim
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
35 minutes ago
- BBC News
McCabe rested for Republic of Ireland games in USA
Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe has been rested for the Republic of Ireland's two friendlies against the USA at the end of June.A number of players will not make the trip to the States, including McCabe, Aoife Mannion, Heather Payne and Leanne has been left out of the squad after helping Arsenal win the Champions League before she came into camp for the Republic's Nations League Finn, Lily Agg and Jess Ziu are long-term absentees, while Aoibheann Clancy will not travel after the passing of her mother, Siobhan. There has been a recall for defender Hayley Nolan, who last featured on the Republic's last trip to the USA in April 2023, and midfielder Ellen Molloy has been rewarded for her good form with Wexford in the Women's Premier Irish will take on Emma Hayes' side in Denver on 26 June and three days later in Cincinatti."When these games were first proposed to us we knew that we would be without certain players, but that opens the door for others to step up," said head coach Carla Ward. "We are building, camp by camp, so we are looking forward to getting together again and putting in some extra work that will stand to us moving forward."The matches will be used as preparation for the Republic's Nations League promotion play-off with Belgium in side finished second in Group B2 behind Slovakia and missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. "The two games against USA are an opportunity for us to work together on a number of things – both on and off the pitch – as we build towards the Uefa Nations League Play-Off against Belgium in October," said manager Ward."We will be coming up against the best team in women's football, so we will have a plan for those games but it's also important that we make the most out of this camp as a whole." Republic of Ireland squad Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (Unattached), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic)Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (West Ham United), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Bristol City), Megan Campbell (Unattached)Midfielders: Denise O'Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Megan Connolly (Lazio), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Ruesha Littlejohn (Shamrock Rovers), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Ellen Molloy (Wexford)Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Emily Murphy (Newcastle United), Saoirse Noonan (Celtic), Erin Healy (Adelaide United), Izzy Atkinson (Unattached)
The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Fifa ready to discuss staging 48-team Club World Cup after lobbying from Europe
Fifa will hold a consultation about expanding the Club World Cup to 48 teams in 2029 if this summer's edition is successful, after lobbying from clubs who failed to qualify for the new $1bn (£740,000) tournament. The controversial 32-team competition kicks off in the US on Saturday and the winners will receive up to $125.8 (£93.2m) in participation and prize money for playing seven matches, about £25m less than Paris Saint-Germain banked from Uefa for their 17-game Champions League-winning campaign, leading to concerns from clubs who have missed out. Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Milan are among the big clubs with large fanbases who have not qualified and, unless Fifa lifts its cap of 12 European entrants, expansion is the only way to ensure more European competitors. Next year's men's World Cup and the 2031 Women's World Cup will involve 48 teams for the first time, so expanding the Club World Cup would be consistent with Fifa's new tournament model. Fifa sources said that although serious discussions regarding expansion had yet to take place, talks with all stakeholders about the Club World Cup's future format and structure would be held after this summer's tournament. Another possible change being pushed by Premier League clubs is increasing the cap of two clubs from one country, a restriction that led to Liverpool missing out despite meeting one of the qualifying criteria of having one of the best eight Champions League records of clubs who did not win the competition between 2021 and 2024. Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid qualified as Champions League winners during that period, with nine European clubs qualifying through Uefa rankings because Madrid won the competition twice, in 2022 and 2024. Fifa has waived the two-per-country limit for clubs that won their continental competition in that period, leading to Brazil having four clubs from four successive Copa Libertadores victories. The USA have three clubs taking part after Los Angeles FC beat the Mexican side Club América in a playoff triggered by the expulsion of Club León for a breach of multi-club ownership rules. In an interview with the Athletic last week Fifa's general secretary, Mattias Grafström, said that all options were open for 2029. 'I think for the future we are very open-minded to look at formats and so on that we will discuss with the clubs and with the confederations,' he said. 'I believe strongly in the future of this competition.' Expanding the Club World Cup would be well received in particular by European clubs, whose commercial strength and global popularity are not reflected in this year's entry list. A bigger tournament involving more of the bigger European clubs would also suit Fifa, which initially struggled to sell commercial deals for this summer's competition. Dazn eventually agreed to pay $1bn for global TV rights in a deal which allows it to sublicense to other broadcasters on a regional basis, with Channel 5 buying the rights for 23 matches in the UK. The Dazn deal is being funded by a 10% investment in the company by Saudi Arabia's SURJ Sports Investment, and Saudi money is underpinning the tournament, with the country's Public Investment Fund announced as tournament partners last week. The longtime Fifa sponsors Adidas, Coca-Cola and Visa have also come on board after initially resisting. Ticket sales have been mixed, however. Expansion would be resisted by the international players' union Fifpro, which alongside the lobby group European Leagues has filed a legal complaint to the European Commission accusing Fifa of 'abuse of dominance' for allegedly failing to consult them over the scheduling of the tournament. Fifa has denied the allegations and accused some leagues of 'commercial self-interest' and 'hypocrisy'. The European Commission has yet to decide whether to investigate the complaint.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Explosive Viktor Gyokeres 'blackmail' statement made in Man Utd transfer update
Sporting CP president Frederico Varandas has claimed that blackmail and threats will not force him to agree to a transfer for Viktor Gyokeres. It has been said that the forward is willing to go on strike after he believed the club had went back on their word over the fee they were willing to accept for a move. Gyokeres has drawn interest from across Europe and the Saudi Pro League, with Arsenal and Manchester United among contenders for his signature. The 27-year-old is thought to prefer a move to the Premier League. But Varandas has denied he agreed to allow Gyokeres to leave if an offer reaching £60million arrived for the Swedish forward. And the president has suggested there has yet to be an offer on the table for the forward. "One thing you should already know is me better," said Varandas, per Record. "Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me. "I can guarantee that Viktor Gyökeres will not leave for €60m+10m because I never promised him that. This game that the agent is playing only makes the situation worse. To this day, Sporting has not had an offer for Viktor Gyökeres, neither today nor last season." Gyokeres' fury is said to stem from his belief that the Portuguese giants are demanding £67m, a figure almost £10m more than he expected. While Varandas accepted the club will not demand the player's release clause be activated, he attempted to explain what he considers the truth of the agreement made with Gyokeres' agent. New Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana played a crucial role before Varandas was required to enter negotiations. "I think it's fair to explain the whole process. The process started last year when the season ended, Sporting were champions and had a fantastic season," Varandas explained. "During the transfer window we realised that Viktor was going to stay at Sporting because we didn't receive a single offer for him. When the season started, the agent approached Hugo Viana several times, asking if we could add an extra fee to the contract if he scored 'x' goals; I gave Viana the opportunity to negotiate, within reason. "Viana manages the relationship with the agents, and very well, this is done by the sporting director. One of the agent's biggest concerns was whether we would demand the value of the 100 million clause next year. "Viana negotiated with the agents over several meetings, until the agent himself asked for the president's presence to settle the matter once and for all. The issue of the bonus for 'x' goals seemed reasonable and at that meeting, where the president, the agent and Viana were present, no player was present, Viktor was not present, the agent wanted to guarantee certain things." "It was agreed that Sporting would not demand the release clause at the end of the following season, especially because he was going to be 27. Then, we knew Viktor's dream of going to a club where he could fight for the Champions League and we have common sense. "We guaranteed that we would not demand 100 million. In that meeting, the agent wanted to anchor the departure to a value, he spoke of 60 million, 70 million... And I said 'there's no point in setting a value because I don't know what will happen here in a year, if he gets injured, if he has a disappointing season... There's no point in setting a value, I don't know if it will be 40, 60 or 80. What I can guarantee is that I will not demand 100 million'. "From then on, I never spoke to the agent again, I never spoke to the player about departures and values. 10 months have passed and I see the agent in the press spouting information here and there, but Sporting has common sense, it keeps its word. The president of Sporting said that the club would not demand the clause and that we would adjust the value to Viktor's performance, he was one of the best players ever to step on the pitch in Portugal." Sky has slashed the price of its bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more. Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
