France manager Didier Deschamps has described Spain ace Lamine Yamal’s goal as “very lucky”, suggesting it was a product of Les Bleus’ lackluster defending. Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, meanwhile, called it a stroke of “genius”, and said La Roja were lucky to have him.
Lamine Yamal Scored A Stunner In Spain’s Win Over France
Three-time European champions Spain booked a place in the 2024 European Championship final on Tuesday, July 9, claiming a 2-1 victory over France. Deschamps’ side drew first blood against De La Fuente’s men, with Randal Kolo Muani firing his team into the lead in the eighth minute. Just as France had started to wrap themselves around Spain, Yamal produced a moment of magic, finding the back of the French net with a 27-yard strike.
He picked up the ball from Alvaro Morata, sold Adrien Rabiot a dummy to open up a bit of room, and let fly with his left foot. The ball swung into the corner of Mike Maignan’s left-hand post and nestled into the back of the net. Four minutes later, Dani Olmo scored for Spain, putting them 2-1 up. France created a few goalscoring opportunities in the second half but lacked the end product, thus crashing out of the final four.
Deschamps Claims Yamal Was ‘Very Lucky’ With His Goal
While the soccer fraternity is heaping praises on Yamal’s record-setting goal, Deschamps could not help but point out the element of luck in his strike. Speaking to the press after the game, Deschamps claimed his team simply afforded Yamal too much space in a dangerous area.
He said (via The Express):
“His shot was magnificent. He was very lucky, but we shouldn’t take away his credit. We were obviously one too far behind him. The Spanish have many good strikers outside the box. We gave him a little too much freedom.”
Yamal’s coach, however, had no doubt it was a moment of genius from the 16-year-old.
Looking back on the Barcelona attacker’s goal, he said:
“We have seen a genius, the product of a genius. He’s a player we have to take care of. I have to give him the advice to keep working with the same humility and keep his feet on the floor.
“He would keep growing but this maturity and attitude at such a young age is like that of a more experienced player. We are lucky he is Spanish and we can enjoy him for many more years.”
With this goal, Yamal became the youngest player in history not only to score in EUROs but also in a major international cup competition. It will be interesting to see if he can keep up the good work when Spain meet either England or the Netherlands in Sunday’s (July 15) final.
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