In the Ballon d’Or race, Lamin Yamal stood out by scoring twice as Spain defeated France 5-4 in their Nations League semifinal. The 17-year-old shined against French players Desire Doue, Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, helping Spain secure a spot in Sunday’s final against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal which defeated host nation Germany 2-1 on Wednesday.
The match set a scoring record in the Nations League. Three of France’s four goals came after Spain thought they had secured a win at 5-1.
“It was a great game. In the end, it was a little close, but we played very well, and I think deserved to win,” Yamal said.
Nico Williams scored the first goal in the 22nd minute after Yamal passed the ball to Mikel Oyarzabal, who then assisted Williams in scoring. Mikel Merino increased the lead to 2-0 three minutes later after exchanging passes with Oyarzabal.
Theo Hernandez hit the crossbar, and Unai Simon saved attempts from Mbappe, Doue, and Dembele. Spain threatened constantly, with Dean Huijsen’s spectacular goal disallowed for offside. Adrien Rabiot’s foul on Yamal led to a penalty, which Yamal converted, making it 3-0 in the 54th minute. Pedri scored shortly thereafter, receiving Williams’s pass with his initial touch and skillfully placing it past the perplexed Mike Maignan with his subsequent action.
Pedro Porro’s foul allowed Mbappe to score from the penalty spot, but Yamal responded to make it 5-1. Substitute Rayan Cherki scored during his France debut after Yamal scored Spain’s fifth goal. Following that, Spain defender Daniel Vivian scored an own goal, and Cherki assisted fellow substitute Randal Kolo Muani during stoppage time. France ultimately reduced the deficit significantly.
