16-year-old Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal became the tournament’s youngest-ever goalscorer as Spain came from behind to beat France 2-1 in Munich on Tuesday night and reach the Euro 2024 final.
Trailing after Randal Kolo Muani headed in a Kylian Mbappe cross in the ninth minute, Spain turned the match around in a four-minute period, scoring twice against a side who had only conceded once in five previous games in the tournament.
Yamal, who turns 17 a day before Sunday’s final against either the Netherlands or England, equalised with a superb strike from outside the box, curling a long-range effort into the top corner and past the fingertips of an airborne Mike Maignan.
Spain took the lead in the 25th minute as Dani Olmo expertly gathered a loose ball and fired a low shot into the net with the aid of a deflection off Jules Kounde.
“I got the ball, didn’t think about it for too long and just shot,” Yamal said of his brilliant strike.
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“I’m just enjoying myself and I’m proud to be in the final,” he added.
Three-time champions Spain became the first team to win six games at a Euros and are one game away from a record-breaking fourth crown.
“We are one step away from glory. We are very, very close. This team is unbelievable. We deserve it,” Olmo said.
This weekend in Berlin will be Spain’s first appearance in a major tournament final since a much-vaunted side thrashed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 showpiece.
Masters of midfield game management, Spain shut up shop after taking the lead, frequently holding possession rather than attacking on the counter, controlling the match and claiming the win.
France coach Didier Deschamps said: “They’re a very good team, we knew that, they proved it tonight even if we were able to open the scoring.
“They created difficulties for us as they controlled the game better than us, even if we kept going until the end.”
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