New Delhi: With the first semi-final of the UEFA Euro 2024 now in the history books, we finally have our first finalist of the tournament as Spain overcame France in a closely contested contest at the famous Allianz Arena in Munich. Spain marched into the finals of the tournament as they became the first team to win six consecutive games in the UEFA European Championships. They now have the chance to finish the entire tournament with a 100% record in the UEFA Euro 2024.
The game was off to a bad start for them, however, as France started brightly, asking questions of the Spain defence. Their efforts didn’t go in vain as they finally managed to score their first goal from open play as a beautiful cross from Kylian Mbappe found Randal Kolo Muani in the box, who headed past Unai Simon to gain an unlikely lead. Kolo Muani became France’s only other scorer in this campaign as the French team ended a disappointing campaign on a disappointing note.
Didier Deschamps’ men had one thing going for them, which was their resolute defence led by the young centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano, and a world-class stopper in Mike Maignan. France hadn’t conceded a single goal from open play throughout the campaign prior to this match, with their only goal conceded coming from the penalty spot. That all changed against Spain though.
A disappointing tournament for Kylian Mbappe’s France ends in Munich. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
The French team went from conceding just one goal all tournament to conceding twice in a span of four minutes and found themselves behind despite taking the early lead. A worldie from Lamine Yamal, which made him the youngest scorer in UEFA Euro history brought things back on level terms for Spain and before France could settle in, Dani Olmo found the ball inside the penalty box, produced an outrageous touch to get away from Aurelin Tchouameni and fire his shot past Maignan to complete the comeback for his team.
Dani Olmo’s strike ultimately proved to be the winner for Spain as neither team could add to the scoreline following the 25th-minute goal. Spain reached their fifth-ever UEFA Euro final, and their first since they won the competition back in 2012. France, meanwhile head home following a disappointing campaign despite reaching the last four stages. They would surely be wondering what went wrong for them in this tournament as their wait for a first UEFA Euro trophy since 2000 carries on.
Turning Point: Lamine Yamal’s exquisite goal
Lamine Yamal’s moment of magic against France in UEFA Euro 2024. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Lamine Yamal, the name on everyone’s lips in this tournament showed his class in a crucial game for his side along with making history for himself. An iconic first goal in the UEFA European Championships, in the semi-finals, against a team like France is the stuff dreams are made of and Lamine Yamal is a boy living those dreams.
Having been goalless throughout the tournament, it seemed like the boy wonder was saving his moment for a grand occasion and he delivered when it mattered. Spain fell behind to a shocking goal by Kolo Muani and seemed a little rattled from the first minute. For the first 10 minutes, France looked the better side and they seemed to be the more dominant side between the two.
However, things changed in the 21st minute and that ultimately set the result in stone. Lamine Yamal produced an exquisite finish from outside of the penalty box past Maignan. The goal seemed to bring the Spanish side back to life. It wasn’t just down to the fact that they were back on level terms, it was the kind of goal that was scored and who scored it. This was a 16-year-old school-going boy who was delivering the goods for his national team.
It was as much of a feel-good moment for the entire Spanish squad as it was for Yamal. Apart from it being a wholesome moment, this goal shifted the momentum completely towards Luis de la Fuente’s men. And they didn’t let that momentum go to waste. Within minutes of opening the scoring, Jesus Navas was attacking down the right flank once again and it was his cross that created the opportunity for Olmo’s eventual winner.
Spain looked a bit rocked after going behind and needed a moment of magic from Lamine Yamal to make a comeback in the game. In a game of fine margins, this four-minute window between the 21st and 25th minute of the match helped decide the game and give us our first finalists of UEFA Euro 2024.
France took a shock early lead just nine minutes into the game as Randal Kolo Muani gave his side the lead, but two goals in four minutes from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo secured Spain’s place in the final of UEFA Euro 2024. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
