Spain 2-1 France: Yamal makes history, La Furia Roja reach EURO 2024 final

Spain overcame an early France goal to record a 2-1 win and reach its fifth EURO final with a win in Munich on Tuesday.

Randal Kolo Muani scored early off a Kylian Mbappe assist, but Lamine Yamal equalized with a ridiculous goal from distance to become the youngest ever EURO goal scorer.

[ MORE: EURO 2024 schedule, bracket ]

Dani Olmo then spun a shot through traffic to give Spain a halftime lead, and Unai Simon and his backs closed the door on France the rest of the way.

Spain beat hosts Germany in an incredible quarterfinal as Mikel Merino scored a 119th-minute winner. The last time Spain reached the final of a European Championships was when they won it in 2012. They were knocked out in the semifinals of the 2020 competition by eventual champs Italy three years ago.

France beat Portugal on penalty kicks after a pretty dour quarterfinal and Didier Deschamps’ side will be answering questions about how they never really found their footing in Germany.

Complete Spain remain favorites

They are young and old, technical and tough, and Spain have easily been the most complete team at EURO 2024.

Now La Furia Roja are a win away from being crowned European champions for the fourth time overall and the first time since completing a EURO-World Cup-EURO sandwich in 2012.

From the wisdom of Nacho Fernandez and Jesus Navas to the steel of Rodri and the flash of Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo, Spain can win the game in every third.

France left scratching their heads

This will leave the fanbase confused and angry as Kylian Mbappe and France never really found its footing in Germany.

Mbappe prodded an own goal in France’s opener versus Austria, scored a penalty against Poland, and set up Kolo Muani’s goal on Tuesday, but the Frenchman struggled with a face mask after breaking his nose in the opener.

In a sense, there’s some symbolism there. This French team always felt a step away from clicking into a higher gear without ever settling into a groove.

Now they’re done.

Spain vs France player ratings

(from fotmob.com)

Spain vs France player ratings (from fotmob.com)

What’s next?

Spain will meet either England or the Netherlands at 3pm ET Sunday in Berlin.

How to watch Spain vs France, stream link and start time

Kick off: 3pm ET, Tuesday (July 9)
Stadium: Munich Football Arena
How to watch on TV, stream in USA: Fox Sports

Spain vs France live updates — By Nick Mendola

Spain vs France final score: 2-1

Goalscorers: Kolo Muani (9'), Yamal (21'), Olmo (25')

Dani Olmo strikes next! — Spain 2-1 France

It turns off France defender Jules Kounde and could be an own goal, but this should be Dani Olmo’s goal.

What a hit to put the Spanish on top in Munich.

Lamine the Teen! (Yamal, 21') — Spain 1-1 France

This is a marvelous, near-perfect hit.

Sixteen-year-old Lamine Yamal shapes the ball from 22 or so yards to restore level terms for Spain.

France strike first (Kolo Muani, 9') — Spain 0-1 France

Kylian Mbappe springs a cross to the back post and Randal Kolo Muani thumps the header home.

It’s so clever and precise from Mbappe, who forces respect out of his mark before chipping the ball above the Spanish defense.

France are in front!

Early promise!

Fabian Ruiz heads over for Spain while Ousmane Dembele threatens the Spanish box at the other end.

This one really feels good from the opening whistle.

Spain lineup

Simon, Cucurella, Laporte, Fernandez, Navas, Ruiz, Rodri, Williams, Olmo, Yamal, Morata

France lineup

Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez, Kante, Tchouameni, Rabiot, Dembele, Muani, Mbappe

Spain team news, focus

Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand are all suspended, while Pedri is out injured after being caught by Toni Kroos early in the quarterfinal and injuring his knee. All of that means Jesus Navas could come in at right back, Nacho at center back and Olmo in for Pedri. That is a lot of changes but Luis de la Fuente’s side are so fluid on the ball and with their movements that whoever comes in will slot in seamlessly. Also, one big takeaway from their quarterfinal was that they didn’t look comfortable with crosses being whipped into the box as they didn’t do well when trying to hold on to a lead. But eventually they wrestled back control of the game and got over the line.

France team news, focus

Deschamps has a solid defensive unit that doesn’t need tweaking at all but that hasn’t been the problem for France in this tournament. Mbappe suffering a broken nose has obviously impacted his form and he took a whack on it against Portugal and had to come off before the end. Mbappe is expected to be fit for this semifinal. As for France’s other attackers, they have all dazzled in flashes during games but they’ve lacked that clinical edge as Deschamps is still searching for his best combinations. Dembele made his claim to start this game with a great performance off the bench against Portugal. After serving his suspension, Adrien Rabiot could come back into midfield for Eduardo Camavinga.

Spain vs France prediction

This is going to be an extremely tight game but Spain just look like they’re always going to find a way to score a goal when it matters most. France will keep it very tight but their attacking unit looks totally lacking in confidence. Spain 1-0 France.