The Red Fury have burned France down (2-1) on Tuesday night and are off to the European Championship final! Much deservedly, we say.And mostly thanks to their sensational, super-talented kids, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, who were rewarded with a standing ovation at Allianz Arena in Munich.France struck early to get in front, but the Spaniards bounced back even before the 25th-minute mark and kept their advantage until the end.Spain book their place in the final! 🇪🇸#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/9xororAdFU— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 9, 2024 This has been quite a woeful tournament, and the players owed us a lot – so France and Spain stepped up to annul all that in spectacular fashion!Straight from the kick-off it was a sensational match, as both sides pushed themselves to the limits. Yamal’s early cross to Fabian Ruiz was just the sign of what was yet to come, but the latter missed it from just a few yards away.His failure to break the deadlock from such a promising situation saw a brutal and almost instant punishment on the other end. Mbappe crossed it to Kolo Muani, and the tragic hero of the FIFA World Cup final headed it home superbly this time to put his side in front after just eight minutes.That was the best possible opening for the game itself, as the Spaniards were pushed with their backs to the wall so early. And responded remarkably!In the span of only four minutes and nine seconds, Luis de la Fuente’s boys scored two breathtaking goals to come from behind and it was only the 25th minute on the clock.Spain wonderkid left our jaws dropped with that fantastic screamer from 25 yards out! He hit a stunning swerving strike, which went beyond Maignan’s gloves into the top corner.Thanks to it, Yamal (16y 362d) has become the youngest ever goal scorer at either a Euros or World Cup, a record previously held by Brazil’s Pele (17y 239d vs Wales at the 1958 World Cup).But that was just the beginning…A total turnaround happened just four minutes later, as Dani Olmo got the ball on the edge of the box. The quarter-final’s hero dribbled amazingly past Tchouameni and smacked a shot towards the bottom corner, which beat Maignan. Kounde’s clearance couldn’t save Les Bleus from conceding another one.It was the best 45 minutes of football at the ongoing European Championship by a mile.Unfortunately, that magic wasn’t prolonged too long into the second half. The Spaniards tried to lock the game, while Deschamps’ boys could not create chances that would restore the stalemate.The experienced tactian opted for Griezmann and Giroud, coming on from the bench late in the second half, but that just wasn’t enough. Mbappe was the only close to scoring, but his late effort from close range went miles over the crossbar for a much-desrved Spain’s victory.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/2 FINALSSemifinalsTuesdaySpain – France 2-1 (2-1)/Yamal 21, Olmo 25 – Kolo Muani 8/Wednesday22.00: (3.15) Netherlands (3.10) England (2.60)***odds are subject to change***
