By Femi Fabunmi
Defending champions Spain booked their spot in the UEFA Nations League final after a dramatic 5-4 win over France at the Stuttgart Arena on Thursday night.
In one of the most exciting games of the tournament, Spain raced into a 4-0 and later a 5-1 lead, but had to survive a late scare as France fought back with three quick goals in the closing minutes.
Spain’s teenage star, Lamine Yamal, was the standout performer. The 17-year-old Barcelona forward scored twice and won a penalty as his team outclassed France for most of the match.
Spain took an early 2-0 lead through Nico Williams and Mikel Merino. Yamal then earned a penalty after being fouled by Adrien Rabiot and calmly scored to make it 3-0. Pedri added another goal to make it 4-0, finishing off a fine pass from Williams.
France pulled one back when Kylian Mbappé scored from the penalty spot following a foul by Pedro Porro, but Yamal responded with his second goal — a low shot to give Spain a 5-1 lead.
Just when it looked like the game was over, France came back to life. Rayan Cherki, on his debut, scored a brilliant volley to make it 5-2. Then Dani Vivian scored an own goal, and in stoppage time, Randal Kolo Muani headed in to bring France within one goal.
However, Spain held on in the final moments and will now face Portugal in Sunday’s final in Munich at 19:00 GMT. Portugal beat Germany in the first semifinal.
It would be recalled that Portugal defeated Germany on Wednesday night to advance to the final of the tournament for the second time in their history.
It will be the first meeting between Spain and Portugal since September 2022, when Spain won 1-0 in Braga.
France will play Germany in the third-place match, also on Sunday, in Stuttgart.
Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Syndigate.info
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