Euro 2024: Spain beats France to advance to final

Spanish striker Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring his team’s first goal in the UEFA Euro 2024 semi-final against France.
photo: Photo sports

Spain fought back to beat France 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals, with a brilliant goal from Lamine Yamal and a goal from Dani Olmo securing their place in the Berlin final.

Brilliantly advanced to the finals #2024EuroCup | #ESPFRA pic.twitter.com/VEfL0RWMkq

— UEFA Euro 2024 (@EURO2024) July 9, 2024

In the 21st minute of the match, 16-year-old Yamal equalised Randall Kolo Muani’s opener with a superb shot, becoming the youngest scorer in the history of a European Championship or World Cup, before Olmo added another goal in the 25th minute, his third in the knockout stages.

Spain, who have won every match of the tournament so far, will face the winner of Wednesday’s match between England and the Netherlands in Sunday’s final in Berlin for a record-breaking fourth European title.

Spain had an early chance to score when Yamal, the youngest player to appear in a World Cup or European Championship semi-final, crossed to the far post but Fabian Ruiz headed it over the crossbar.

France did much the same in the ninth minute, getting the ball through to Kylian Mbappe, who was not wearing a mask after breaking his nose earlier in the tournament, and crossed for Kolo Muani to head home for the first open-play goal of Euro 2024.

But Espanyol, missing the suspended Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand as well as the injured Pedri, quickly turned the game around.

Yamal shot with his left foot from 25 meters away from the goal, and the ball hit the post and bounced into the net, breaking another record held by Brazilian star Pele and becoming the youngest scorer in the European Cup and the World Cup.

In the 25th minute, before France had time to recover, Olmo counterattacked at lightning speed, with a shot saved by France’s Jules Kounde.

France, who had conceded just one goal in their previous five games at the tournament, upped the tempo after the break and created attacking chances through Kylian Mbappe and Theo Hernandez.

But the 2022 World Cup finalists failed to equalise.

Both Spanish goalscorers were ecstatic.

“I am very happy to have reached the final. The most important thing now is to win the match,” said Man of the Match Yamal, who will turn 17 the day before the final.

“We were in a difficult moment and you don’t expect to score so soon. I wanted to put the ball in that position and I’m happy. I try not to think too much, enjoy the game and help the team, and if the result is like this, I’m happy and satisfied with the win. I want to win, win, win.”

He celebrates with Alvaro Morata after Dani Olmo scored in Spain’s 1-0 win in the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Germany.
photo: AFP/dpa

Olmo said Spain must not forget what got them into the decider.

“Just one step away. It’s incredible to be in the final,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter who scored my goal (blocked by Jules Kounde), but for the team it was important. We deserved to be in the final. We were one step away from glory.”

France coach Didier Deschamps took the defeat in stride.

French football coach Didier Deschamps.
photo: Photo sports

“Spain showed tonight that they are a very good team. We were lucky to score first but they caused us problems because they were better in terms of possession,” he said.

“They showed all their strengths tonight. We … probably lacked energy, and that led to some wasted skills, especially in the play-building. We didn’t push forward enough.”

– Reuters