Spain steps up the intensity

The iconic Texas venue hosted Spain's penultimate training session ahead of Monday's Round of 16 clash against Portugal.

Spain arrived in Dallas on Friday evening, where the squad was welcomed by hundreds of supporters and the soaring temperatures currently gripping the city. The team continues its preparations for the highly anticipated Iberian showdown, which will take place on 6 July at Dallas Stadium, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

The national team trained in a morning session on the pitch of the historic Cotton Bowl, a stadium rich in memories for Spanish football. Thirty-two years ago, Spain began its 1994 FIFA World Cup campaign there with a 2-2 draw against South Korea, a match in which Julio Salinas and Jon Andoni Goikoetxea scored for the national team.

Following training, Unai Simón, Spain's vice-captain and the newly established holder of the all-time FIFA World Cup clean-sheet record, addressed the media at the Marriott Dallas Uptown team hotel.

On Sunday, the squad will complete its final training session before facing Portugal, once again at the Cotton Bowl. The session will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (6:00 p.m. CEST). Fifteen minutes beforehand, three players will speak to accredited journalists in the mixed zone at the stadium, before the media are granted access to the opening portion of the training session. Luis de la Fuente will then hold his pre-match press conference at 3:30 p.m. local time from Dallas Stadium.