The officiating at the FIFA World Cup has faced intense scrutiny recently, particularly following a controversial match where Spain battled Uruguay. La Roja struggled to find their rhythm throughout the tournament, only showing flashes of brilliance in their encounter against Saudi Arabia. Manager De la Fuente defended his team's performance, stating,

"This team’s work is worthy of praise. We aren’t used to playing matches like this, yet we handled it well."

Despite the challenges, he emphasized the squad's resilience, noting their ability to concede few goals while remaining potent in attack.

Late in the match against Uruguay, Agustin Canobbio received a red card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi, leading to complaints about the referee's leniency. De la Fuente expressed his desire for more typical matches, saying,

"I hope we can play normal matches... It was a match played right on the edge, with extreme physicality. And we rose to the occasion."

He acknowledged the difficulties of refereeing but stressed the importance of VAR in ensuring fairness. Injuries also plagued the team, with Yeremy Pino potentially sidelined for the remainder of the tournament due to a shoulder injury, and Nico Williams facing uncertainty after aggressive tackles.

Spain managed only one shot on target during the match, which proved decisive. De la Fuente highlighted the differences in demands between the World Cup and the European Championship, stating,

"I have total and absolute confidence in this squad... I believe that, with our 34-game unbeaten run, we have surpassed Brazil."

Spain qualified first in their group and will face the runner-up of Group J, currently projected to be Austria, though Algeria could change that with a win.