Spain returns to the final of a major championship and does so in style. With six wins in six games and after knocking out Germany and France in the tie when everything seemed against them. The Germans were the hosts and Spain had never beaten one of them in a championship. Nor had any team won six consecutive games in a Euro Cup and the sixth was in a spectacular comeback against the French.
France was quick to display Mbappéwho played unmasked. Freer, more relaxed. Jesús Navas gave him distance waiting for the dribble and the French number 10 put the ball on the head of Kolo Muani. Laporte did not trouble the French striker too much either, who put the ball in the net. In a rather discreet Euro, the French captain has scored one of his team’s four goals and has set up two others.
It all seemed like bad news, because Jesus Navasthe man who had to take care of Mbappé for his 38 years, saw a yellow card early. But if France has Kylian, Spain has Laminewho responded with a great goal from outside the area. “It’s up to us to make Yamal feel the pressure,” Rabiot warned before the match. And it was the French midfielder who was in front of him when he put the ball into the top corner.
At one point the pressure had changed sides, because at the four minutes from Yamal’s goal Dani Olmo was on targetThe question was whether Spain would be able to compete after being outnumbered by the most impenetrable team in the championship. And it was not long before Spain gave an affirmative answer.
Not by chance, Lamine was named the best player of the matchHis goal changed the face of the semi-final and put a smile on Spain’s face and faith in its mind.
France, who had only conceded one goal in the entire championship, received two in four minutes and had to learn to play to take the initiative and risk Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal surprising them with a counterattack. Spain easily avoided the pressure of the French, who are not used to going so high up to seek out their opponents. And their forwards are not the kind to give their all in defensive efforts.
France had no choice but to press on and that’s what they did in the second half. Deschamps, who is not one to turn the team around, made three changes at once to start accumulating forwards with the introduction of Griezmann and Barcola first and Giroud later.
Spain lost Navaswho was complaining about the hip that had been giving him trouble for three years. The defence, which was already quite battered, was once again making moves on the fly. Vivian, who had only been capped three times, had to go out onto the pitch to face Mbappé. The Athletic centre-back took his natural place on the pitch and Nacho had to put out the fire on the wing, which had been left without specialists. But Kylian had left the wing to come into the centre.
Was Barcola, who occupied the left wing, It was Deschamps’ best decision of the entire championship. That’s where all the French danger came from, but in Spain everyone was turning to the helpers to clear the balls that the PSG winger sent into the centre of the area, either high or low.
But Spain responded and Lamine still had the strength to go for the third. Meanwhile, Rodri was using up his last strength. He asked for a substitution, but De la Fuente preferred to put in Zubimendi’s help. Spain held on and returns to the final of a European Championship twelve years later.