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LOS ANGELES — Every time Lamine Yamal took a step, it felt like Nuno Mendes was right there waiting for him. The 18-year-old Spanish wonderkid was matched up with the 24-year-old Mendes, one of the world's best left-backs, and he was showing him exactly why he had earned that reputation.But even as Mendes challenged him for every ball, Yamal refused to back down. The FC Barcelona star went right back at him, winning half of his duels with the PSG defender and showing some defensive mettle of his own – enough to impress manager Luis de la Fuente – until Mendes eventually went down with an injury in the 55th minute of Spain's 1-0 round of 16 win over Portugal on Monday, July 6."The other day was a scenario where he had to work on defense and know how to defend a very potent rival until he broke," de la Fuente said in Spanish on Thursday, July 9. "Because if he got hurt, it was partly because of how demanding Lamine was defending him. Nuno's a great player, and Lamine showed a great deal of maturity. It had to have been a great learning experience."Offensively though, Yamal is still looking for his breakout moment at the World Cup.That is, after all, where the winger has emerged as one of the future faces of the sport, dazzling audiences in La Liga and the Champions League with some of the most electrifying displays of skill and finesse that should defy all logic for a teenager. But after missing the end of the season with a hamstring injury, his fitness for – and his ability to even participate – this summer was put into question.Yamal recovered enough to make the 26-man roster and put any doubts to rest 10 minutes into La Roja's second group stage match against Saudi Arabia with a sliding goal at the back post, putting the finishing touches on a low cross from Mikel Oyarzabal for his first career World Cup goal.Ever since then, however, Yamal's hasn't been able to find the back of the net. It's not for a lack of trying; his 17 total shots and eight shots on target are both above the 95th percentile among forwards playing in the tournament. It's not for a lack of want, either.That, De la Fuente says, makes Yamal especially dangerous for any opponent right now."He's really eager, he's motivated," he said. "We actually have to try to calm him down so that it doesn't turn into anxiety, that's not positive. We want him to be motivated, to be very eager, and he is. And we know that the best version of him, the attacking Lamine, which is the most visible and is valued the most, is due to arrive because he hasn't given us that moment of brilliance at the level that we're used to."He will bring it, I'm sure of it."Even though Yamal isn't keeping up with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in tallying up goals, his presence on the pitch alone draws enough attention from defenders that it can create opportunities for his teammates. That's been enough to get La Roja to the quarterfinal, where they'll face Belgium on Friday, July 10 with a shot at France in the semis on the line.To get there, Spain will need its future to become its present."Now, we're waiting for him to bring it, he surely will," De la Fuente said. "I'm expecting him to do so tomorrow and play at the impressive level offensively that he has. We're waiting to see that and I'm sure that we will."
