EURO 2024 Talking Points: A Star Is Born As Yamal Fires Spain Past France Into Final

In the first semi-final of EURO 2024, Spain and France faced off on Tuesday. Spain emerged victorious with a close 2-1 score, largely due to a brilliant performance by Lamine Yamal and France’s missed opportunities.

Catch up on the game’s key talking points below.

Yamal steps up to the biggest stage

In Tuesday’s semi-final, Spain began strongly, but a brilliant play from Kylian Mbappe setting up Randal Kolo Muani put them 1-0 behind early on, facing a tough challenge. However, the spotlight soon shifted to the teenage sensation Lamine Yamal.

After France’s early opener and with Mbappe’s looming threat, it might have been a long night ahead for Spain. However, Yamal had other ideas.

Lamine Yamal Spain scores against France

In a mesmerizing moment that seemed to freeze time, it was as though we witnessed greatness introducing itself to the world. The skillful winger, in that instance, became the youngest-ever goalscorer at a European Championship when he leveled the scores.

What’s more, he did it in some style.

Yamal, known for cutting inside from the right whenever possible, unleashed a powerful shot that grazed the underside of the crossbar before slipping past the outstretched arm of Mike Maignan. This exquisite moment would have been a delight for any genuine football enthusiast.

Just like in the quarter-final, Yamal once again single-handedly revived his team, illuminating this tournament with his brilliance repeatedly.

From that moment, Spain had their tails up, inspired by what their magical star was doing at such a young age. Whilst Dani Olmo’s impressive solo goal to make it 2-1 only minutes later made him the joint top scorer at EURO 2024, it is Yamal’s goal that will be remembered, and for good reason.

Lamine Yamal was the man of the match against France in EURO semifinals 2024

Yamal is the present and future of Spain and if they are to win the EURO 2024 final on Sunday, expect him to play a key role again.

France fail to take their chances

Ahead of their semi-final match against Spain, a unique statistic surrounded France they had not scored a goal from open play throughout the tournament. Instead, they had relied on a penalty and an own goal to progress to the final four.

This fact left many questioning whether they could find the net without these circumstances.

Kolo Muani quickly dispelled any doubts about France’s goal-scoring abilities by finding the net in the ninth minute, easing French tensions and giving Les Bleus a strong start.

However, their lead was short-lived as they conceded two open-play goals in the 25th minute, marking the first (Yamal) and second (Olmo) times in the tournament that Didier Deschamps’ team had allowed such goals.

Lamine Yamal scoring the equalizer against France in EURO 2024 semifinals

From that moment, they conceded possession to Spain overall 59 to 41 but dominated in terms of chances created, leading nine to six in shots on target and 1.09 to 0.62 in total Expected Goals (xG) for the match. All this is to say, one team took their chances while the other side didn’t.

Securing another semi-final is undoubtedly a significant achievement for Deschamps.

However, considering the abundance of talent in his squad, there may be a prevailing that his team should have emerged victorious in this match. With the opportunities they had, many might believe that they could have yet another final.

Furthermore, there is a common sentiment that questions Deschamps’ track record of clinching only one major trophy from his six appearances at the World Cup and Euros combined. Given the considerable depth of talent within the French team, some may ponder whether this level of success is sufficient.

Certainly, it is worth acknowledging that under Deschamps, France has the finals of major tournaments three times, a commendable achievement.

However, the lingering question persists: Have they maximized their opportunities? The events of Tuesday match suggest otherwise, as they failed to capitalize on their chances.