Two key players for Spain trained apart from the full group Thursday in the team's first training session since clinching a place in the World Cup final.
Star attacker Lamine Yamal and right back Pedro Porro, who scored in the 2-0 semifinal victory against France, worked separately in a morning training session in East Hanover, New Jersey.
Yamal struggled with a hamstring injury coming into the tournament and was seen limping after drawing a penalty kick in the first half of the win on Tuesday, July 14. But Yamal was able to carry on until the end of the contest, even putting the ball in the back of the net after a crafty run only to be flagged for being slightly offside.
Porro made way for Marcos Llorente in the 83rd minute of the match. But after the game, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente didn't seem concerned about either in the aftermath of the semifinal win.
"Lamine doesn’t have anything that I know about. I’m going to speak with the trainers right now," he said. "Pedro Porro, it looks like just an overload as well, but we’ll evaluate it tomorrow."
Both right-sided players are expected to fully fit for De La Fuente to select for the final, with Marca and other Spain-based publications reporting the players were kept out of the full training simply as a precaution - with Yamal's bandage on the left hamstring another resource the training team is using to have him in top condition for Sunday's final against Argentina.
Spain's Friday training session is entirely closed to reporters ahead of Saturday's session, which will again be open for the first 15 minutes. De La Fuente also will speak to the press in a news conference Saturday, likely giving an update on both players' fitness.
Source: USA Today
