Key events
51 min “This is my third France v Spain game,” confides my colleague Philip Cornwall. “I was in Bruges for the 2000 quarter-final when Raul missed a penalty for 2-2 and in Hannover for the last 16 in 2006 when Thierry Henry fell over. Now this. Hasn’t been cheap but I feel I am getting my money’s worth each time. More than for France v Belgium, anyway.”
Goodness me, I’m still experiencing residual boredom from those games to this day, and all I did was watch them on telly. Enjoy!
50 min Olmo out to the overlapping Cucurella, who flashes one of those low crosses across the box, and Saliba does well to get to it before Morata. Currently, Spain look the likelier.
48 min “Sending defenders to the shop,” begins Michael Meagher. “Apparently Frank Quinn missed the Wales-Belgium match in Euro 2016.
Aha, the night Hal Robson-Kanu channelled the combined might of his surname.
46 min into Morata, who finds Williams, and out of nowhere, Maignan charges way out of his goal to slide in … and make the challenge. I guess that was good keeping, but it was very nearly catastrophic keeping because really Williams should’ve nipped around him – and he’s now stretching out his groin.
46 min We go again. Dare we hope for more of the same?
At 16 years, 362 days, Lamine Yawal is the youngest man to score in the European Championship finals but he is 11 days older than Isabell Herlovsen when she scored for Norway against France during the 2005 UEFA Women’s Euro in Warrington (16 years, 351 days) #ESPFRA #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/cZbd2tQWRV
— Asif Burhan (@AsifBurhan) July 9, 2024
“Not sure how you’re omitting the 2022 World Cup from your classic tournament list,” chides Edward Graves. “There was drama in almost all of the final group-stage and knockout matches. Late Croatia equaliser to take Brazil to penalties? Kane missing a penalty to fall to France? Morocco reducing Ronaldo to tears? And then of course the most frenetic conclusion to a final in my memory.”
England v France was the only game that I thought was of a semi-decent standard, and I guess I’m differentiating between quality and drama. I enjoyed the final, obviously, but relative to Brazil v France and Italy v Germany? Not so much.
“It would not be surprising if this turns into a classic as you’ve said,” writes Espen Bommen, “considering France have arguably been involved in some of the greatest games of all time. Against Brazil twice and West Germany once, the Schumacher/Battiston assault. Of course there is still the possibility that all this is nothing compared to the spectacle that awaits us tomorrow….”
France v Brazil, you say? I watched it during lockdown and couldn’t believe it was even better than I remembered.
Half-time email: “Not since Liam Brady’s goal in against Brazil have I seen so many defenders sent to the shops by a dummy before scoring! writes Frank Quinn. “Absolute class.”
HALF-TIME: Spain 2-1 France
There’s something very special about experiencing something that, in the moment, you know will last for ever. But this is that, so let’s all take care to appreciate it as much as we possibly can.
45 min We’ll have two added minutes. I’m not sure how that’s possible, given three goals and two bookings, nor why anyone wants to deprive themselves, never mind us, of more of this. But it feels churlish to complain, so all I can do is complain.
45 min Lovely stuff: the first Spain goal has now been credited to Olmo, who now has three and two assists, so sits ahead of Cody Gakpo with three and one.
44 min Better ball in this time, and Big Alvaro Morata is up to head clear. Maybe he’s actually been trying to defend all this time.
42 min Spain knock it about – I daresay they’d also settle for half-time now – and the crowd cheer every successful pass. But France win the ball back and move forward, Morata openalised for handball when challenging Hernandez, so Dembele will now stick the free-kick into the box.
41 min Williams swings in and Maignan – who I’m beginning to think might be the best keeper in the world – comes to claim well.
40 min Or not nowt! Williams suddenly finds himself in space down the left and he eases on to the gas, spreading to Lamine, who tries another curler, which this time is blocked behind.
39 min France win a free-kick down the right which Dembele will swing out. But at the back post and with Upamecano poised, Navas inserts himself between man and ball to concede a corner … which comes to nowt.
37 min No doubt we all have different ideas as to what constitutes a classic tournament. But one of my principal stipulations is the need for classics at the end, and I’m not sure we’ve had that since the 2006 World Cup. The portents here, though, are good.
36 min Again, Lamine is the outlet, sliding inside for Ruiz just outside the box, and his shot is blocked, the ball looping up with Maignan unable to get to it, falling just wide. The corner is headed clear by Kolo Muani.
35 min Hernandez is late on Lamine, nothing too vicious but a little reducer just to remind him that such thing is possible every time he’s on the ball.
34 min But here’s Dembele crossing to the far post … and way too powerfully for Mbappe.
33 min France look shocked. There’s not the same snap in their harrying, and Spain are now controlling the pace. I reckon they’d take 2-1 at half-time.
31 min We’ve not seen much of Williams yet, but he wriggles away from Upamecano and Saliba, finding Morata … who can’t escape the traffic.
29 min Thinking again about the goal, it feels harsh to take it away from Olmo, who’s going for the golden boot – if it’s his, he’s on three, as many as anyone has – and he more than earned it, making the chance himself and hitting a goalbound shot.
27 min I must admit, I did not see this coming when Kolo Miuani scored – Spain were struggling to create and France looked lethal on the counter. But here we are, or rather, here football is.
GOAL! Spain 2-1 France (Olmo 25)
Lamine slips into Olmo who finds Navas, and his cross is headed out back to Olmo, who sticks out a leg to intercept then takes a touch to control with the same foot before it even touches the ground – it’s beautiful behaviour, taking him past Tchouameni. And he doesn’t waste the opportunity, leathering a low shot that’s headed for the far corner, but Kounde sticks out a leg and diverts it past Maignan for him. This is brewing into one of the great matches and we’ve only seen a quarter of it!
23 min The total confidence of that strike is so pure, so too the thought-process. Lamine knew exactly where that ball was going, and how, several seconds before he put it there. Imagination and composure are not natural bedfellows, but this hero has both in luscious quantities.
OH MY COMPLETE AND UTTER EVERLASTING DAYS WHAT A GOAL! Spain 1-1 France (Lamine Yamal 21)
Lamine gets the ball 25 yards out, inside-right. He sways outside and everyone follows, then dips inside, before unfurling the most gorgeous curler you’ll ever see into the far top corner! Where most of us are drinking WKD, smoking Embassy no1 and dancing on sticky floors, as 16-years-old, he is now the tournament’s youngest-ever scorer and are we in the midst of a classic?
20 min And perhaps that’s the problem with Spain’s style: it only works properly if you have the greatest midfield of all time. With merely a really good one, it’s vulnerable.
19 min France are moving it really nicely on the counter and Hernandez nashes down the left then finds Mbappe, who shimmies infield across the face of the France defence, shooting low, hard … and into the ankles of an unwitting defender. Les Bleus are controlling this game in the transitions.
17 min Cucurella is getting booed every time he’s anywhere near the ball for the handball not given against him in the quarter-final. Or perhaps the crowd are just big Holger Rune fans/Novak Djokovic enemies – it’s a real headscratcher.
16 min So free-kick France, 25 yards out … and Mbappe goes low, straight into the wall.
14 min France look dangerous on the counter and Kolo Muani finds Rabiot in aeons with Mbappe unmarked over to his left and pleading for a pass. But before he can slide him in, Navas scythes through him –he had to really – and is shown a yellow card. Just the 76 minutes and change against the best player in the world to avoid getting another.
13 min “Wow Daniel!” returns Joe Pearson. “Your ‘bland’ food comment triggered a whole European food history essay in my head. Stop that!”
The best food in Europe – in my experience – comes from outside.
11 min Now Spain have a problem: no reliable striker and a goal down to the best defence in the competition. They’ve got time, but will have to be warier of overcommitting because if they concede another, they’re done for.
10 min We’ve a VAR check for offside, but we’re soon kicking off again.
