Lamine Yamal primed to ‘prove' himself against ‘legend' Cristiano Ronaldo in Nations League final

Straits Times

a day ago

Spain's Lamine Yamal scored twice and was named Man of the Match in a 5-4 win over the French in Stuttgart on June 5. PHOTO: AFP
Lamine Yamal primed to 'prove' himself against 'legend' Cristiano Ronaldo in Nations League final
STUTTGART – Spain starlet Lamine Yamal said the Nations League final against Portugal on June 8 would give him the chance to 'prove who I am' after helping his side past France in the semis on June 5.
The forward scored twice and was named Man of the Match in a 5-4 win over the French in Stuttgart, sealing progress to the title showdown against their Iberian rivals.
A late French flourish – a Rayan Cherki screamer, a Spain own goal and a stoppage-time strike from Randal Kolo Muani – obscured Spain's dominance, with La Roja cruising at 5-1 before dropping their intensity.
But it ultimately did not prove costly.
As they did on their way to winning Euro 2024 in Germany last season, Spain's success was built on the foundation of wingers Yamal and Nico Williams.
Williams, who got a goal of his own and set up another, was Man of the Match in the 2-1 Euro 2024 final win over England. The duo will be key as 2021 Nations League winners Spain now take on Portugal, who won the competition in 2019.
'It's a special game, a final against a great team gives us extra motivation,' Yamal said.
'This is the kind of game I want to play, to prove who I am. I always say it to my mother, I try to give it all. It is what motivates me to play football, why I wake up in the mornings.
'We (Spain and Portugal) are two very good teams with world-class players. The best will win. I hope to bring the Cup to Spain.'
Still just 17, Yamal will face off against Portugal veteran Cristiano Ronaldo, who is 23 years his senior.
'He's a football legend,' Yamal added.
'I, like all the players, have huge respect for Cristiano. I will do my job, which is to try to win, and that's it.'
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said fans would see 'two super powerful teams' on June 8, adding that 'this could be a World Cup final'.
'We're playing against one of the greats – Cristiano Ronaldo. Just his name stands out – I have limitless admiration for him,' he said.
'It's really great to see a player at his age to keep playing and be as fit as he is. I admire him very much.'
Mikel Merino, another Spanish scorer against France, was confident.
'It's not our first final,' he said.
'Munich brings us amazing memories from the European Championship. I'm very happy to be in another final which is a huge accomplishment and hopefully we can win it again.'
Besides Yamal, Williams and Merino, Pedri was also on the scoresheet.
Kylian Mbappe netted a second-half penalty for France, before their three late goals.
'We had some bursts of play we haven't had for a long time,' the France skipper said.
'But in just 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two goals – and the same thing happened in the second half. We weren't consistent throughout the 90 minutes, but we did improve. When you don't win, there are always negative points that come out. But it's not all negative.'
It was also the first time France had conceded five times in a match since 1969.
Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps said: 'Today's match is not at all the same match that took place between us in the Euros (when Spain won 2-1).
'We had the credit and satisfaction of mastering the game. After that, it's a matter of efficiency. We conceded goals, but their goalkeeper made some good saves. They are full of confidence.
'But I repeat, we did not have all our strength. I do not forget that we were significantly behind, but we showed some good things. Against this team, you have to be at your best everywhere, that's a fact.' AFP, REUTERS
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