EURO 2024 flag

Libby Hooper

A hopeful Spanish side left France heartbroken as they secured their spot in the EURO 2024 final, winning 2-1 against ‘Les Bleus’ in the highly anticipated semi-final, which took place in Munich.

With two European titans clashing, this tie was set to be one of the most exciting matches so far. It was a contest between one of the best defensive sides against the best-attacking side this tournament—the French had conceded no goals from open play, and Spain had scored 11 goals since their EURO 2024 campaign began.

“It was a contest between one of the best defensive sides against the best-attacking side this tournament”

Both teams have seen recent spells of European success, with France making it to the 2022 World Cup finals, winning the 2021 Nations League, and winning the 2018 World Cup. France truly met their match with Spain, who have won the Euros twice in the last four competitions, as well as the 2010 World Cup.

The First Half

As the whistle blew, a hectic opening 45 minutes began. Midfielder Fabian Ruiz flicked an incredibly early chance for Spain over the crossbar, setting the bar for the quality of play to be expected from this Spanish side.

9′ Spain 0-1 France

This moment of danger for France was quickly offset by an early goal for Les Bleus, opening up the scoreline. An incredible pass from Dembélé let Mbappé take advantage of Cucurella’s weak aerial ability. Mbappé crossed the ball into the far post, letting Muani head the ball into the top right corner.

This marked France’s first goal from open play. They had relied on success from penalty shootouts to advance to this semi-final.

21′ Spain 1-1 France

Spain did not hesitate to ramp up their attack and quickly responded. A showstopping ‘wonder goal’ from Spanish 16-year-old Lamine Yamal brought Spain the equaliser they’d been chasing, curling the ball in from outside the box. This spectacular goal marked Yamal in history, becoming the youngest player to ever score at the men’s European Championship.

25′ Spain 2-1 France

Having already rippled the net, Yamal’s quality did not stop there. Only minutes later, Yamal’s pass to Dani Olmo opened up a deadly Spanish attack. Olmo then passed it to Nava, who swiftly returned it to Olmo. An incredible first touch and subsequent strike from Olmo allowed Spain to finally take their deserved lead.

Olmo’s strike was initially deemed an own goal, as the ball’s final touch came from French defender Joules Kounde in a desperate attempt to clear the ball. The goal, however, was later attributed to Olmo, elevating his position in the race for the Golden Boot this tournament. Olmo is tied with England’s Harry Kane in most of the goals scored in this tournament, with both having three to their names.

The Second Half

The pace settled in the second half, with Spain sitting back and easing the momentum. France continued to search for an equaliser, having a few further failed goal attempts. A 53rd-minute header from Tchouameni planted itself into the palms of Unai Simon. The Spanish keeper saved a strike from Mbappe minutes later with relative ease.

These unsuccessful attempts saw a spell of French substitutions, with Kante, Rabiot, and Muani replaced by Camavinga, Griezmann, and Barcola. With half an hour to go, French manager Didier Deschamps sought to energise the squad with fresh legs. These substitutions, however, failed to impact the scoreline.

With ten minutes on the clock, a misplaced shot from Lamine Yamal narrowly missed the chance for Spain to secure their victory and make it 3-1.

Following this bout of Spanish threats, France quickly showed signs of life. The ball was eagerly launched up the pitch to Griezmann, who could not convert as play was stopped.

A Last Minute Lifeline?

In the final five minutes, France had a chance in sight, as Mbappé found himself in a lethal striking position. However, Mbappé could not produce the quality needed to get France over the line and on that flight to Berlin.

“France’s chances continued to be wasted as the pressure heightened.”

In the 90th minute, Nico Williams took a Spanish corner, which France tactically used to move upver Yamal and L the pitch. Howeaporte rapidly culled this last chance for France, working to dilute the French threat.

In these tense final minutes, France’s chances continued to be wasted as the pressure heightened. Ultimately, none of France’s desperate attempts could cross the line.

Remaining 2-1 at the full-time whistle, this match saw Spain through to the finals of EURO 2024, to face either England or the Netherlands.

The Aftermath

For France, this exit from EURO 2024 has led to the questioning of Deschamps’ post as manager. However, the French Football Federation president has stated that Deschamps will ‘continue his mission‘ as manager and that there is ‘no reason’ to question his contract.

 

French star Kylian Mbappé, in a post-match interview, stated that the competition had been a ‘failure’, as France was unable to fulfil their ambitions of being ‘European champions’.

“The competition had been a failure.”

For Spain, this improves upon their result from the last tournament, having been knocked out during the semi-finals in 2020. This is a well-deserved trip to Berlin for Spain, having beaten the German hosts and the Italian title holders.

Whether Spain faces the English or the Dutch in the final, their phenomenal performances this tournament have kept them as favourites to win.

Featured image courtesy of Peri Stojnic via Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.

Animal lover, football enthusiast, and Sociology student at the University of Cambridge.

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