Luis de la Feunte’s Spain are on a train which even the pecary Kylian Mbappe cannot catch. The Spanish side have gone on and extended their brilliant Euro 2024 run as they sealed a spot in the Final on top of a 2-1 win over Didier Deschamps France.
Lamine ‘Starboy’ Yamal
The match was all about the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who, in quite an emphatic fashion, announced himself as a talent to be reckoned with. A sublime curler in the 21st minute, which had the shades of his idol Lionel Messi written all over it, marked a thunderous moment in the European football setup. Not only did the goal make him the youngest-ever goalscorer in the history of the European Championship, but he also showed the recurring nerve of taking away a long-range shot the very moment a gap opens up.
Not once, not twice, Yamal was a consistent threat to the French backline with his ability to cut into the box, and also his brilliant eye of finding players into the box with textbook crosses. Etched on the history books already, Yamal has only made it sure that he is the star in the making.
Reluctant France midfield
Having a midfield boasting the likes of N’Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot, all renowned for their through-pass focused gameplay, one would expect France to be more convincing with their playmaking. However, Les Blues focused entirely on the flanks while making their attacking runs. It wasn’t long till the Spanish backline had predicted the flow, and both Ousmane Dembele had convincingly marked.
The likes of Nacho, and the ageless Jesus Navas ensured that the French attacks consistently missed the finishing piece inside the box. Be it stopping the crosses or pushing the wingers to a spot without any angle to make a long-range effort.
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