Spain’s rising stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams stole the spotlight in Stuttgart on Thursday, powering La Roja to a dramatic 5-4 win over France in the Nations League semi-final and securing a showdown with Portugal in Sunday’s final.
The teenage sensation Yamal netted twice, while Williams added a goal and an assist, tearing through France’s experimental backline with pace and precision. Mikel Merino and Pedri also found the net in what turned into an unforgettable contest.
France mounted a late rally after Spain had surged to a commanding 5-1 lead, with Kylian Mbappe pulling one back from the spot before Rayan Cherki, a Daniel Vivian own goal, and Randal Kolo Muani added three late goals for the French.
Despite the tense finale, Yamal was upbeat about the performance. “It was a great game — at the end it was a little too close, but we played very well,” he said. “We deserved to win.”
Merino echoed the sentiment, telling DAZN: “It was a crazy game. Not the best game for the coaches — nobody wants to concede so many goals — but an amazing game for the fans. We’re going to remember this one for a long time.”
Spain, the reigning European champions, returned to German soil with momentum and cohesion. France, meanwhile, started brighter and looked to exploit Ousmane Dembele’s speed rather than relying solely on Mbappe. The PSG winger nearly set up an opener for Mbappe, who squandered the chance by choosing to pass instead of shoot.
Spain capitalised on France’s missed opportunities. After 22 minutes, Yamal played in Mikel Oyarzabal, who held his ground before feeding Williams to blast in the opener. Moments later, Oyarzabal turned provider again, lofting a pass that Merino volleyed past Mike Maignan to double the lead.
Dembele threatened repeatedly down the right but was denied by Unai Simon each time, and Spain nearly added a third before the break only to be denied by a narrow offside.
After halftime, Spain maintained their rhythm. Yamal won a penalty in the 54th minute and confidently converted it himself. Just a minute later, Williams set up Pedri to make it 4-0. Though Mbappe converted a spot-kick soon after, Yamal struck again with a composed finish to restore Spain’s four-goal cushion.
With the result seemingly secured, Spain made several substitutions, giving France space to mount a late surge. Cherki’s long-range goal, Vivian’s unfortunate own goal, and Kolo Muani’s stoppage-time effort closed the gap to 5-4—but time ran out on the French revival.
Spain now head to Munich for an all-Iberian final against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, while France will compete for third place against host nation Germany.
