Spain once again displayed exquisite play and the necessary decisiveness in a "do or die" battle to eliminate France 2-1 in the first semifinal of Euro 2024, which bid farewell to its great star: Kylian Mbappé.
In the majestic Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, Germany, both teams started out determined to take the lead on the electronic scoreboard, and the opening segment had an almost paranormal intensity.
Barely eight minutes had passed when the French forward Kolo Muani exploded with joy among his fans in a poorly defended play by the Iberians, as they allowed Mbappé to think and his pinpoint cross found an exquisite header response from his teammate.
However, they say that goals are love, and Spain was ready to make hearts beat faster. First, teenage player Lamine Yamal confirmed the worth of his talent despite being only 16 years old, and then Dani Olmo appeared to secure a lead that would prove decisive in the end.
At 21 minutes, Yamal, the latest gem of FC Barcelona, showed steel nerves, cut in from outside the box, and struck a shot with surgical precision from 25 meters out past Mike Maignan's goal.
Olmo (25), on the other hand, also showed nerves of steel. Inside the box, he ruthlessly cut in and took a shot on goal. The ball was heading for the back of the net, although it ultimately had the help of Jules Koundé. However, the goal ended up on his tally. Bravo!
The second half had less pace, although the French coach put all the "cards on the table" and brought on Camavinga, Griezmann, and Barcola for Rabiot, Kanté, and Muani in the 62nd minute.
However, the tie never came, and the criticized team of coach Luis de la Fuente achieved the goal of defeating the world champion in Russia 2018 and runner-up in Qatar 2022.
After this result, Spain returns to contention for the title for the first time since 2012 and will face the winner of the clash between England and the Netherlands, which will take place this Wednesday at Signal Iduna Park in the city of Dortmund.
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