Nelson Semedo: Concerns over Lamine Yamal - "He's a valuable player and could change the outcome"
Portugal's Nelson Semedo says it would be wrong to focus solely on Lamine Yamal in their World Cup clash with Spain.
Portugal defender Nelson Semedo says they should not focus solely on Lamine Yamal in their World Cup Round of 16 clash with Spain. The clash is scheduled to take place on Monday and is likely to be a wide-ranging encounter between the top teams, he said.
Lamine Yamal is in the limelight after his impressive performance against Austria. But Semedo insists Spain's strength lies in the sheer quality of the squad. Semedo, who left Barcelona in 2020, has no experience playing in the same team as Lamine Yamal, saying "I don't know anything about him".
"He's a very young player; we had Ansu Patti who was new to the team. Lamine is very young," Semedo said.
Appreciating Lamine Yamal's prowess, Semedo cautioned against focusing on him alone. "We have to stop Spain, as a team. Lamine is a valuable player and can change the results, but if we only focus on him, we will have many problems," he said.
"Lamine is a fantastic player, his ability is also great. But if we focus only on him, we can face many problems. There are other players in the Spain team who can make a difference," he added.
"Our preparation has to be focused on the overall challenge, not on individual opponents. We have to be clear about ourselves and our game plan," Semito said.
Portugal and Spain battle it out for a place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in what is likely to be a crucial match. Lamine is set to face PSG left-back Nuno Mendes, who is keen to clash with Barcelona's young star.
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