Latest news with #FranceVsSpain
CNN
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Teenage superstar Lamine Yamal stars as Spain beats France in Nations League semifinal goalfest
Before a ball was even kicked on Thursday, the UEFA Nations League semifinal between France and Spain was billed as a clash of two modern greats, and the match certainly didn't disappoint. Inspired by the likes of teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, La Roja managed to get the better of the goalfest, beating Les Bleus 5-4 in an all-time classic. The result means Spain will progress through to the final where it will face Portugal on June 8. The nine-goal thriller, the highest scoring match in the tournament's short history, is perhaps less surprising when you consider the number of world-class forwards on the pitch. France boasted attacking talents such as Kylian Mbappé, as well as Champions League heroes Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, but it was 17-year-old Spanish star Yamal who once again stole the show. The teenager scored two goals in the match and produced another memorable performance which has perhaps convinced even more people of his Ballon d'Or credentials. 'When two great teams like this play, you sometimes see a lot of goals,' Yamal said after the match. 'They will make you suffer until the end, but we went to the final despite the mistakes we made. We were aware of what we wanted to do. We wanted to make history. The greatest thing when you are winning is to keep winning.' The youngster had a part to play in Spain's opening goal, beating his man on the right wing before crossing into the box. The ball was brilliantly held up by Mikel Oyarzabal before the striker teed up Nico Williams who rifled his finish into the roof of the net in the 22nd minute. Just three minutes later and the Euro 2024 champions had doubled their lead. Oyarzabal once again provided the assist, but this time it was Arsenal man Mikel Merino who produced the finish as Spain took a 2-0 lead going into the break. The second half saw more free-flowing attacking play and Yamal soon got on the scoresheet. The winger was brought down in the box and stepped up to take the subsequent penalty. Despite his age, Yamal looked confident before passing his spotkick into the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Two minutes later and France found itself 4-0 down, after midfielder Pedri produced a wonderfully chipped finish to seemingly put the game to bed. But it was then time for France and Mbappé to take center stage. The Real Madrid striker responded with a penalty of his own in the 59th minute to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the French revival was cut short by Yamal, after the youngster raced onto a through ball to poke Spain 5-1 ahead. Perhaps confident of the victory, Spain seemed to take its foot off the gas which opened the door for a possible comeback from Les Bleus. Debutant Rayan Cherki scored the goal of the game in the 79th minute, with his sweetly struck volley making it 5-2. An own-goal from Spain's Dani Vivian then gave France a glimmer of hope in the closing stages and the comeback was almost complete when Randal Kolo Muani made it 5-4 in added time. But France simply ran out of time and looked frustrated when the referee blew his whistle for full-time. 'We had some bursts of play we haven't had for a long time,' Mbappé said after the game, trying to sum up the frantic 90 minutes. 'But in just 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two goals – and the same thing happened in the second half.' Spain's win now sets up a brilliant all-Iberian final against Portugal, which will see 17-year-old Yamal come up against 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in a battle of two generational greats.
CNN
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Teenage superstar Lamine Yamal stars as Spain beats France in Nations League semifinal goalfest
Before a ball was even kicked on Thursday, the UEFA Nations League semifinal between France and Spain was billed as a clash of two modern greats, and the match certainly didn't disappoint. Inspired by the likes of teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, La Roja managed to get the better of the goalfest, beating Les Bleus 5-4 in an all-time classic. The result means Spain will progress through to the final where it will face Portugal on June 8. The nine-goal thriller, the highest scoring match in the tournament's short history, is perhaps less surprising when you consider the number of world-class forwards on the pitch. France boasted attacking talents such as Kylian Mbappé, as well as Champions League heroes Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, but it was 17-year-old Spanish star Yamal who once again stole the show. The teenager scored two goals in the match and produced another memorable performance which has perhaps convinced even more people of his Ballon d'Or credentials. 'When two great teams like this play, you sometimes see a lot of goals,' Yamal said after the match. 'They will make you suffer until the end, but we went to the final despite the mistakes we made. We were aware of what we wanted to do. We wanted to make history. The greatest thing when you are winning is to keep winning.' The youngster had a part to play in Spain's opening goal, beating his man on the right wing before crossing into the box. The ball was brilliantly held up by Mikel Oyarzabal before the striker teed up Nico Williams who rifled his finish into the roof of the net in the 22nd minute. Just three minutes later and the Euro 2024 champions had doubled their lead. Oyarzabal once again provided the assist, but this time it was Arsenal man Mikel Merino who produced the finish as Spain took a 2-0 lead going into the break. The second half saw more free-flowing attacking play and Yamal soon got on the scoresheet. The winger was brought down in the box and stepped up to take the subsequent penalty. Despite his age, Yamal looked confident before passing his spotkick into the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Two minutes later and France found itself 4-0 down, after midfielder Pedri produced a wonderfully chipped finish to seemingly put the game to bed. But it was then time for France and Mbappé to take center stage. The Real Madrid striker responded with a penalty of his own in the 59th minute to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the French revival was cut short by Yamal, after the youngster raced onto a through ball to poke Spain 5-1 ahead. Perhaps confident of the victory, Spain seemed to take its foot off the gas which opened the door for a possible comeback from Les Bleus. Debutant Rayan Cherki scored the goal of the game in the 79th minute, with his sweetly struck volley making it 5-2. An own-goal from Spain's Dani Vivian then gave France a glimmer of hope in the closing stages and the comeback was almost complete when Randal Kolo Muani made it 5-4 in added time. But France simply ran out of time and looked frustrated when the referee blew his whistle for full-time. 'We had some bursts of play we haven't had for a long time,' Mbappé said after the game, trying to sum up the frantic 90 minutes. 'But in just 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two goals – and the same thing happened in the second half.' Spain's win now sets up a brilliant all-Iberian final against Portugal, which will see 17-year-old Yamal come up against 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in a battle of two generational greats.
CNN
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Lamine Yamal: Teenage superstar stars as Spain beats France in Nations League semifinal goalfest
CNN — Before a ball was even kicked on Thursday, the UEFA Nations League semifinal between France and Spain was billed as a clash of two modern greats, and the match certainly didn't disappoint. Inspired by the likes of teenage superstar Lamine Yamal, La Roja managed to get the better of the goalfest, beating Les Bleus 5-4 in an all-time classic. The result means Spain will progress through to the final where it will face Portugal on June 8. The nine-goal thriller, the highest scoring match in the tournament's short history, is perhaps less surprising when you consider the number of world-class forwards on the pitch. France boasted attacking talents such as Kylian Mbappé, as well as Champions League heroes Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé, but it was 17-year-old Spanish star Yamal who once again stole the show. The teenager scored two goals in the match and produced another memorable performance which has perhaps convinced even more people of his Ballon d'Or credentials. 'When two great teams like this play, you sometimes see a lot of goals,' Yamal said after the match. 'They will make you suffer until the end, but we went to the final despite the mistakes we made. We were aware of what we wanted to do. We wanted to make history. The greatest thing when you are winning is to keep winning.' Yamal scores his first goal of the semifinal from the penalty spot. Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters The youngster had a part to play in Spain's opening goal, beating his man on the right wing before crossing into the box. The ball was brilliantly held up by Mikel Oyarzabal before the striker teed up Nico Williams who rifled his finish into the roof of the net in the 22nd minute. Just three minutes later and the Euro 2024 champions had doubled their lead. Oyarzabal once again provided the assist, but this time it was Arsenal man Mikel Merino who produced the finish as Spain took a 2-0 lead going into the break. The second half saw more free-flowing attacking play and Yamal soon got on the scoresheet. The winger was brought down in the box and stepped up to take the subsequent penalty. Despite his age, Yamal looked confident before passing his spotkick into the back of the net in the 53rd minute. Two minutes later and France found itself 4-0 down, after midfielder Pedri produced a wonderfully chipped finish to seemingly put the game to bed. But it was then time for France and Mbappé to take center stage. The Real Madrid striker responded with a penalty of his own in the 59th minute to cut the deficit to 4-1. But the French revival was cut short by Yamal, after the youngster raced onto a through ball to poke Spain 5-1 ahead. France comeback falls short Perhaps confident of the victory, Spain seemed to take its foot off the gas which opened the door for a possible comeback from Les Bleus. Debutant Rayan Cherki scored the goal of the game in the 79th minute, with his sweetly struck volley making it 5-2. An own-goal from Spain's Dani Vivian then gave France a glimmer of hope in the closing stages and the comeback was almost complete when Randal Kolo Muani made it 5-4 in added time. France almost came close to completing an amazing comeback. Annegret Hilse/Reuters But France simply ran out of time and looked frustrated when the referee blew his whistle for full-time. 'We had some bursts of play we haven't had for a long time,' Mbappé said after the game, trying to sum up the frantic 90 minutes. 'But in just 10 minutes of the first half, we conceded two goals – and the same thing happened in the second half.' Spain's win now sets up a brilliant all-Iberian final against Portugal, which will see 17-year-old Yamal come up against 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo in a battle of two generational greats.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How to watch Spain vs. France in UEFA Nations League semifinal
Two international powerhouses go at it in a UEFA Nations League semifinal, with Les Bleus and La Roja battling Thursday for a championship look on Sunday. France and Spain each enjoy top-tier youth pipelines, and some of the best players in the world will share a pitch in Germany. UEFA's Nations League is a relatively new undertaking — this is only the fourth go-around — but this semifinal could be one of the best matchups in its short history. Advertisement International streaming via (Spain), TF1+ (France), Prime Video UK (United Kingdom) and ARD Sportschau (Germany). Lamine Yamal is a captivating watch at just 17 years old, and Pedri is an extraordinary midfielder at 22. Spain is on a roll, having won last year's Euros and the most recent Nations League championship in 2023. It has certainly set itself up for an extended run of excellence. Getting here was exhausting, though. Its quarterfinal versus Netherlands went all the way to the edge — tied 5-5 on aggregate before Spain won 5-4 on penalty kicks. Mikel Merino delivered a dramatic first leg equalizer in the 93rd minute. Mikel Oyarzabal had two goals in the second leg, and Yamal scored in the 104th minute. He actually missed his penalty, but Pedri came through in the sixth round. Yamal is instantly capable of classics. He has already done majestic stuff against France: 😍🇪🇸 Lamine Yamal (17) finish vs France. That left foot is dangerous! 🚀 — EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) July 22, 2024 France's Ousmane Dembélé goes for a second helping after leading PSG to their first Champions League title. The French won the 2018 World Cup, seized the Nations League in 2021 and then reached the semifinals in Euro 2024. Like Thursday's counterparts, Les Bleus have been great of late while also cultivating prodigal talents. And, like Spain, the journey to get here was tight and turbulent. Croatia won March's opening quarterfinal leg 2-0, putting France in an uncomfortable spot. It came out swinging and won the second leg 2-0. Michael Olise scored first with this gem of a free kick: Michael Olise free-kick stunner 💫#NationsLeague — UEFA EURO (@UEFAEURO) June 2, 2025 Then Dembélé got the necessary second goal in the 80th minute. Jules Koundé and Theo Hernández both missed during the ensuing penalty shootout, but Mike Maignan made two saves and France won after seven rounds. Thursday's winner plays Portugal for the trophy on Sunday, preceded by the third-place match, which will involve Germany. Advertisement Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Lamine Yamal: Alex Bierens de Haan / Getty Images)
