Spain scored twice in five minutes in a pulsating first half to secure a 2-1 comeback win over France on Tuesday as a record-breaking goal from teenager Lamine Yamal and an effort from Dani Olmo propelled them into the Euro 2024 final.
Yamal, 16, cancelled out Randal Kolo Muani's opener with a sublime finish in the 21st minute to become the youngest scorer in a European or World Cup tournament before Olmo added another in the 25th minute for his third goal of the knockout phase.
The Spaniards, who have won every match in the tournament so far, confirmed their status as favourites with another display of attacking football, especially in the first half, a far cry from the tiki-taka passing game that won them world and European titles more than a decade ago.
“I'm very happy to have reached the final,” said Yamal, the man of the match. “Now the most important thing is to win it. We were in a difficult moment, you didn't expect a goal so early.”
“I wanted to put it in where it went in and I'm very happy. I'm happy and pleased with the victory. I want to win, win and win,” added the teenager.
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They will now face the winners of Wednesday's match between England and the Netherlands in Sunday's final in Berlin, seeking a record fourth European crown.
It was an anticlimactic end to France's tournament, though the 2022 World Cup finalists never quite lived up to expectations in Germany with a very low conversion rate carrying over into the semi-final.
“Spain showed tonight that they are a very good team. We were lucky to open the scoring, but they created problems for us because they were superior in controlling the game,” said France coach Didier Deschamps.
“They showed all their quality tonight. We were… perhaps a little less fresh, which led to some technical waste, especially in the construction of the match. We did not attack often enough.”
Spain had an early chance when Yamal, the youngest player to feature in a World Cup or European Championship semi-final, crossed to the far post but Fabián Ruiz headed over the bar.
France did better with an almost identical play in the ninth minute, when Kylian Mbappé, playing without a mask after breaking his nose earlier in the tournament, crossed for Kolo Muani to head in his first goal from open play at Euro 2024.
But the Spaniards, who were without the suspended Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand and the injured Pedri, quickly turned the match around.
Yamal unleashed a stunning left-footed shot from 25 metres that crashed off the post to break another record held by Brazilian great Pele, as the youngest scorer at a European Championship or World Cup.
Before France had time to recover, Olmo completed the comeback in the 25th minute with a shot that was scored by Frenchman Jules Koundé.
France, who had conceded just one goal in their previous five games at the tournament, upped the tempo after the break and created chances through Mbappe and Theo Hernandez.
But The Blueswho have struggled to score throughout the tournament, were unable to secure an equaliser as Spain sat back and successfully absorbed the pressure.
