California [US], July 11 (ANI): Spain forward Lamine Yamal has sent a strong message ahead of La Roja's FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinal clash against France, saying his team has no fear of facing one of the tournament favourites.

Speaking to TV Espana, as quoted by The Athletic, Yamal recalled Spain's previous success against France and backed his side to compete against the European giants.

'If anyone should be afraid it should be them -- we knocked them out of the Euros. Obviously we are two great teams, among the best in the world. We'll see what happens, but we have no fear,' Yamal said to TV Espana, as quoted by The Athletic.

Yamal also reflected on the team's quarter-final victory over Belgium, saying La Roja are delighted to reach another semi-final and are determined to go all the way to the final.

'We're very happy to be in the semis again (after the Euros). We want to keep going to the final,' Yamal said, as quoted by The Athletic.

The youngster praised Spain's performance, insisting they were the better side despite Belgium finding the net when Spain were in control.

'We were much the better team, but then when we were playing our best, (Belgium) managed to score their goal,' he added.

Yamal also spoke about the difficulty of facing teams that prefer to sit deep and defend against Spain's attacking style.

'No team really comes out to play us, everyone sits back to defend. It's more difficult, but in the end we got the victory,' he said.

Coming to the match, Fabian Ruiz, handed a surprise start ahead of Pedri, and substitute Mikel Merino scored for Spain, while Charles De Ketelaere found the net for Belgium in a match that also saw goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois forced off with an injury.

Ruiz opened the scoring after Belgian goalkeeper Courtois parried Dani Olmo's effort into his path. Spain continued to threaten through Lamine Yamal, whose lively display earned him the Player of the Match award.

Belgium equalised just before halftime when Kevin De Bruyne released Timothy Castagne down the right, and the defender's pinpoint cross was headed home by De Ketelaere, who timed his run perfectly to stay onside.

The goal also ended Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon's remarkable run of 560 consecutive World Cup minutes without conceding, surpassing the previous tournament record of 517 minutes set by Italy's Walter Zenga in 1990.

Belgium suffered a major setback in the 71st minute when Courtois was forced off with an apparent injury and replaced by Senne Lammens. The substitute goalkeeper was beaten soon after when he failed to hold Pau Cubarsi's long-range effort, allowing Merino, who had only recently entered the game, to pounce on the rebound and score the winner.

The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to 36 matches since their defeat to Colombia, equalling Argentina's unbeaten streak between 2019 and 2022 and leaving them just one game short of Italy's world-record 37-match unbeaten run.

Spain will now face France in a highly anticipated semifinal as they continue their bid for another FIFA World Cup title. (ANI)