Spain’s young stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams were on fire as La Roja defeated France 5-4 in a thrilling Nations League semifinal in Stuttgart. The match had everything: incredible goals, dazzling footwork, and a nerve-wracking finish that left fans on the edge of their seats.
Yamal, who is just 17, scored twice, and Williams had both a goal and an assist. Together, they tore apart France’s shaky defense and helped Spain dominate most of the game. Mikel Merino and Pedri also added their names to the scoresheet, giving Spain a huge 5-1 lead at one point.
But France didn’t go down quietly. Kylian Mbappe scored from the penalty spot in the second half, and suddenly Les Bleus came to life. They netted three late goals, a stunner from Rayan Cherki, an unfortunate Spanish own goal, and a stoppage-time strike from Randal Kolo Muani. It was just a little too late, though. Spain managed to hold on and book a spot in the final against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
After the match, Yamal said, “It was a great game, at the end it was a little too close, but we played very well.” Merino called it “a crazy game” and admitted it wasn’t ideal for coaches who hate seeing so many goals, but said fans will remember it for a long time.
France started strong, pushing through Ousmane Dembele, who looked dangerous early on. Mbappe had a golden chance but passed when he probably should have shot. A few minutes later, Spain punished them. Williams slammed the ball into the top of the net after some brilliant link-up play with Oyarzabal and Yamal.
Only three minutes later, Merino added another with a powerful finish. France kept pressing, with Dembele creating chances, but Unai Simon stayed solid in goal for Spain. A beautiful Spanish goal was ruled offside just before halftime, but they came out strong again in the second half.
Yamal won and calmly scored a penalty in the 54th minute. A minute later, Williams set up Pedri to make it 4-0. Even when Mbappe converted a penalty shortly after, Spain didn’t slow down. Yamal returned with his second goal, making it 5-1 and silencing any thoughts of a French comeback, at least for a while.
Spain made some late substitutions to rest key players for Sunday’s final, which gave France an opening. Cherki hit a screamer, and then Spain scored an own goal under pressure. Kolo Muani added another in the final moments, but time ran out.
By Yockshard Enyendi
