Spain and France produced an epic contest for the ages as Lamine Yamal stole the show… England will have to raise their game if they reach the final, writes MATT BARLOW

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Didier Deschamps had invited the world to look away. 'You don't have to watch,' he told critics who claimed France were boring.

And he did so with a smile because he knew nobody was about to look away. Who would have wanted to miss this?

Two giants of international football colliding for a place in Sunday's final and one of its nascent stars rising to the occasion.

Lamine Yamal will be 17 on the eve of the showpiece in Berlin, the stadium where he became the youngest footballer to appear in a Euros when he started Spain's opening game of the tournament.

Here in Munich, just 24 days older, he became the youngest to score.

Spain came from behind to beat France 2-1 in their Euro 2024 semi-final on Tuesday night

It was disappointment for Kylian Mbappe (above) and Co as France crashed out of Euro 2024

Didier Deschamps told critics who claimed France were boring to 'look away' before the game

And what a goal. Darting inside onto his left foot, Yamal weighed up his options and went for goal. The ball flashed past Mike Maignan's dive, still accelerating as it thumped against a post and settled into the net.

'I took it, I didn't think, and I tried to put it in where it went in and that was it,' beamed the teenager afterwards. 'I am very happy. Very happy to qualify and now the most important thing remains, to take the title. Win, win, win, that's all we have in mind.

'My goal was to make it to my birthday here in Germany and now to enjoy it with the team.'

This tournament will forever be about his arrival on the international stage and this goal will be one of those clips played over and again to prove it.

Not only was it a beautiful goal but an important one, hauling Spain level after a goal in the ninth minute, scored by Kolo Randal Muani and created by Kylian Mbappe, who discarded his protective mask.

Mbappe seemed happier without the mask, and helped uncork this semi-final when he clipped over a cross to Muani, who drifted away from Aymeric Laporte into space at the back post, sprang high and made no mistake.

The nagging statistic that France had yet to score a goal at the Euros from open play was buried early, and launched the first half into an exhilarating spectacle. France performed with much more adventure than on previous outings, but they were up against a team in sublime form and Spain hit back through Yamal.

'Magnificent,' conceded Deschamps. 'Technically perfect.'

Four minutes later, Spain went ahead. Again, it came from the right wing, although this time it was a cross by Jesus Navas, poorly defended by William Saliba, who headed a clearance down to the feet of Dani Olmo, inside the penalty area.

Lamine Yamal scored an sensational equaliser for Spain from outside the box in the 21st minute

The 16-year-old starlet whipped his long-range effort past Mike Maignan in the French net

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Olmo deceived Aurelian Tchouameni with a wonderful disguised flick, slammed his shot past Maignan and Jules Kounde's attempt to keep it out only served to divert the ball into his own goal.

Initially, UEFA ruled it an own goal but by half-time it was Olmo's and that was about right.

'A goal is a goal,' shrugged Olmo, once the victory was complete. 'It doesn't matter if it was Kounde's or mine. It belongs to the team. Now we are very, very close, just a step away. We deserve it.'

That much is true. Spain have been the best team at these Euros and whoever meets them in the final - be it England or the Netherlands - they will have to raise their game to face opponents superior by some distance to anything they have yet to face in Germany.

Luis de la Fuente will have defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin le Normand available again after they missed this game through suspension, although there was concern on Tuesday night for Alvaro Morata.

He celebrated wildly after becoming the youngest-ever goalscorer in Euros history

Dani Olmo fired the Spaniards ahead before half-time with a smart finish inside the penalty box

Spain's captain Morata appeared in pain after the game when he was tripped from behind by one of the security stewards who slipped while chasing pitch invaders around the pitch, trying to keep them away from the celebrating players.

'We don't think it's anything serious,' said De La Fuente. 'It was in the celebrations. His leg hurts but we think he will be OK.

'This is an insatiable team. I have faith in them. I have always known the potential of this team.'

Once ahead, Spain briefly threatened to run further ahead and again Nico Williams broke clear, early in the second half.

France goalkeeper Maignan made his mind up to rush from his goal and was fully 15 yards outside his penalty area, wide on the right when he committed to the slide tackle. There was no margin for error, but Maignan won the ball.

For the last half hour, Spain dropped deeper, increasingly content to play on the break and, maybe sensing the slight shift in the balance of power, De La Fuente decided it was time to send on Dani Vivian to police Mbappe.

Mbappe had a glorious chance to equalise for France in the second half but he fluffed his lines

Deschamps rolled through his changes, moving Mbappe from the left wing into a central role as he sent on Antoine Griezmann, Eduardo Camavinga and Bradley Barcola. Then Giroud, to ironic cheers from the French contingent.

They would have liked to have seen him sooner in the tournament during their struggles to find the net.

Unai Simon made saves from Tchouameni and Mbappe as Spain resisted, and the best of the late chances fell to Theo Hernandez and Mbappe. Neither forced a save. France's race was run. Ultimately, they were punished for failing to win their group, which put them on this course to meet Spain.

'I am the one responsible,' said Deschamps, who still has two years on his contract and refused to answer a question on his future, adding: 'You know my situation very well and what my president thinks. Maybe you shouldn't have asked this question.'

Maybe he will wished he had looked away.