Comeback goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo saw Spain beat France 2-1 to reach UEFA Euro 2024 Final.
Olmo fired in a 25th minute winner from a deflected clearance to send Spain through to a fifth Euros final, and their first final in this competition since back-to-back titles in 2008 & 12.
16 year-old Yamal became the youngest ever goalscorer at the Euros with a 21st minute curled shot into the top-left corner for Spain’s equaliser.
Randal Kolo Muani had initially headed France into an eighth minute lead from Kylian Mbappe’s cross.
Spain will meet either Netherlands or England in the Final in Berlin, Germany, on Sunday 14 July at 9pm CEST (8pm UK Time).
With both teams considered favourites for the title and various changes made to the starting line-up, this clash certainly lived up to the hype as Fabian Ruiz headed an early fifth minute chance wide from Yamal’s cross.
38 year-old Jesus Navas replaced the suspended Dani Carvajal at right-back for Spain and made a crucial block in the seventh minute, as Kolo Muani tried to play Kylian Mbappe through in France’s first proper attack of the game.
Spain failed to heed that warning as just one minute later, Mbappe picked up a diagonal cross up the left and whipped his delivery into the box, with Kolo Muani free to nod into the far-right corner to put Didier Deschamps’ Les Bleus ahead.
Mbappe then saw a 19th minute shot blocked by Nacho as France began to get on top with their defence having conceded just one goal this tournament.
That luck soon ended two minutes later as Yamal calmly picked up possession from Alvaro Morata and curled into the top-left corner via the inside of the left-post to equalise, which saw him become the youngest ever player to score at the Euros at 16 years and 362 days old.
France’s defence were quickly dissected once more just four minutes later in the 25th minute, as Navas’ cross was deflected to Olmo who fired into the net, although the goal was initially declared an own-goal by Jules Kounde before UEFA awarded it to Olmo upon review.
Morata missed a chance to put Spain two goals clear in the 31st minute as he latched onto Nico Williams’ lay-off pass, but his tame shot was saved by Mike Maignan as neither team found a further goal before half-time.
Despite neither team making changes at half-time, France came out the stronger team early in the second half, with Ousmane Dembele proving a nuisance up the right flank with his crosses although he did provide a 53rd minute corner which Aurelién Tchouameni headed wide.
Dayot Upamecano headed wide from a 65th minute corner as France continued to dominate proceedings, whilst Spain sat out and looked to hit Les Bleus on the counter-attack albeit with no real quality of note.
Dembele knocked down a 76th minute cross with a header from substitute, Antoine Griezmann’s cross to the far-right post and Eduardo Camavinga flicked the ball across for Theo Hernandez, who smashed his shot over the bar.
Mbappe blazed a shot over the bar in the 86th minute as France continued to desperately chase an equaliser to force extra time, yet Spain resiliently clung on to book their fifth appearance in the final of this competition.
Teams
Spain – Unai Simon, Jesus Navas (Vivian 58′), Nacho, Aymeric Laporte, Marco Cucurella, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal (Torres 94′), Dani Olmo (Merino 76′), Nico Williams (Zubimendi 94′), Alvaro Morata (Oyarzabal 76′)
Substitutes: David Raya, Daniel Vivian, Mikel Merino, Joselu, Ferran Torres, Alex Grimaldo, Alex Remiro, Alex Baena, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Oyarzabal, Fermin Lopez, Ayoze Perez
France – Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Jules Kounde, Adrien Rabiot (Camavinga 62′), Aurelién Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante (Griezmann 62′), Ousmane Dembele (Giroud 79′), Kylian Mbappe, Randal Kolo Muani (Barcola 63′)
Substitutes: Alphonse Areola, Bradley Barcola, Eduardo Camavinga, Jonathan Clauss, Kingsley Coman, Youssouf Fofana, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Ibrahima Konate, Ferland Mendy, Benjamin Pavard, Brice Samba, Marcus Thuram, Warren Zaire-Emery,
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