Teenager Lamina Yamal scored a wonder goal as Spain came from behind to beat France 2-1 in the Euro 2024 semi-finals in Munich on Tuesday.
Trailing after Randal Kolo Muani headed home an inch-perfect Kylian Mbappe cross in the ninth minute, Spain turned the match around in a four-minute period, scoring twice against a side who had only conceded once in five previous games in this tournament.
Yamal, who turns 17 a day before Sunday's final against either the Netherlands or England, equalised with a superb strike from outside the box, curling a long-range effort into the top corner and past the fingertips of an despairing Mike Maignan. The goal means the Barca winger became the tournament's youngest ever scorer at the age of 16 years and 362 days.
Spain took the lead on 25 minutes, Dani Olmo expertly gathering a loose ball and firing a low shot into the net with the aid of a deflection off Jules Kounde.
"I got the ball, didn't think about it for too long and just shot," Yamal said of his brilliant strike. "I'm just enjoying myself and I'm proud to be in the final."
Three-time champions Spain became the first team to win six games at a Euros and are one game away from a record-breaking fourth crown. "We are one step away from glory," Olmo told ZDF. "We are very, very close. This team is unbelievable. We deserve it.
"We played the game very well. We kept playing our way. A great goal from Lamine, who had a wonderful match."
This weekend in Berlin will be Spain's first appearance in a major tournament final since the much-vaunted side that thrashed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 showpiece.
"It's incredible to reach a Euros final, it's something magical," said veteran defender Nacho. "The team has a lot of character, the mix of veterans and youth makes us strong. It was the same against Germany, we knew how to take the game in the right direction."
Masters of midfield game management, Spain shut up shop after taking the lead, frequently holding possession rather than attacking on the counter, controlling the match and claiming the win.
"We were able to open the scoring, which was great," said France coach Didier Deschamps. "Spain mastered the game better than us, though. We didn't perform that well, we didn't play as vertically as I wanted. We pushed all the way to the end."
And Deschamps admitted the team's lack of goals has been a problem this tournament. "You need to be as relaxed as possible and hit the target," he added. "This is what we've been missing. Nevertheless, we made it to the semi-final and found a way to score, thanks to Kolo [Muani]. It would have been better if we'd been as efficient as we had been before."
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
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Specs
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The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
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Engine: 937cc
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Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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