Spain, facing the challenge of winning again

326 days ago , a goal from Oyarzábal defeated England and confirmed Spain's status as the greatest continental power . That unforgettable night, in the heart of Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the party went on forever. The music played by Lamine Yamal could be heard throughout the aisles thanks to its enormous, now iconic loudspeaker. Everyone was dancing. Almost everyone, because the veterans were giving the spotlight to the younger players, aware that this is a generation that is here to stay. Now, fate has returned them to Germany, to the Black Forest, near where they spent a month last summer on their way to the title. And now, too, they face one of the greatest challenges in existence. Because, as De Musset said two centuries ago: the difficult thing is not reaching the top, but staying there.

De la Fuente's team will face off this Thursday at the Stuttgart Arena, the same venue where a Mikel Merino header knocked out Germany in the Euro Cup quarterfinals. They will also face France, with whom they also dueled in the semifinals last year, with a memorable goal from Lamine Yamal . This time, the Nations League will be their trophy, and the prize will be a second final, scheduled for Sunday at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Now, in the Nations League Spain and France are back in the semi-finals after their Euro Cup clash and Lamine Yamal's stunning goal.

The red team 's hegemony is once again at stake. Not surprisingly, since Luis de la Fuente took over the national team, they have won both titles in contention: a Nations Cup and a European Championship. So it's time to defend the title in this final four drawn up in southern Germany. And a France with a renewed sense of humor thanks to the success of a very blue Paris Saint-Germain will be a formidable opponent.

Precisely, the importance of PSG in the French team is one of the aspects that defines the match. After winning the Champions League, Luis Enrique's players have gone from celebration to celebration, and those involved in this Nations League have arrived later to their training camps. Fabián, for example, didn't arrive at Las Rozas until Tuesday—his 25 teammates arrived on Saturday—and it remains to be seen whether he can make the starting eleven (he's a key player). But for France, as is normal, the Champions League 's influence is much greater. Dembélé, Doué, Zaire-Emery, Barcola, and Lucas—plus Inter players Pavard and Thuram—have practically just been put under Deschamps' orders, and although many are regular starters, the veteran coach will have to make several adjustments to face the revenge against Spain.

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As for the Spanish national team, De la Fuente once again faces the challenge of filling the gaps both on and off the field for the absences of Rodri and Carvajal, who haven't recovered in time and are two key players in every aspect for the current Spanish national team. These are two gaps that the coach is filling as best he can and knows how, especially Carvajal, without a clear backup, as Zubimendi is the undisputed number two in central midfield after the current Ballon d'Or winner.

On the contrary, the youth that prevails in the locker room and those hungry stomachs for success continue to be Spain's greatest asset. Of course, with Lamine Yamal at the helm. The Barça player, at 17 years old and already in the running for the Ballon d'Or, has a tough battle to wage on the Stuttgart pitch with Dembélé, the apparent favorite to win the coveted individual award. There will be no shortage of motivation for the young talent from Rocafonda, who has recently renewed his star salary at Barça just a month after reaching adulthood, and who continues to skip every natural step in life with astonishing ease.