Lamine Yamal hit back at pre-match comments from France’s Adrien Rabiot as the 16-year-old made history with his stunning goal to help Spain reach the final of Euro 2024.
Yamal became the youngest scorer in men’s European Championship history as his strike lit up the Euro 2024 semi-final against France, with Spain coming from behind to win 2-1.
The teenager arrived at the Euros after a breakthrough season with Barcelona and continued his impressive performances throughout the tournament, but his goal against France was his biggest moment yet .
Afterwards, Yamal approached a TV camera and yelled “Speak now! Speak now!” in comments that appeared to be in reference to France midfielder Rabiot.
Before the semi-final, Rabiot said that Yamal had more to prove against France.
“We’ve seen that he’s a player who can handle the pressure,” Rabiot said this week. “He has a lot of quality. However, it’s always difficult to handle a semi-final in a tournament like this.
“It’s down to us to put the pressure on him, to not let him be comfortable and to show him that in order to play the final of a Euro, he’ll need to show much more than he has until now.”
Yamal fired a long-range shot into the top corner from outside France’s penalty area, with Rabiot his closest marker, equalising for his nation after Randal Kolo Muani’s early opener in the Euro 2024 semi-final.
With his goal, the winger broke a 20-year record; at Euro 2004, then-18-year-old Johan Vonlanthen scored for Switzerland against France, four days after Wayne Rooney set a record by scoring against the Swiss.
Isabell Herlovsen remains the youngest-ever player to have scored in a European Championship; the Norwegian was 11 days younger than Yamal is now when she netted against France in 2005.
Shortly after Yamal’s goal, teammate Dani Olmo saw a shot deflected into the French net after an attempted block by Jules Kounde in what proved to be the winning goal. Yamal will turn 17 the day before the final, which will be against either England or Netherlands.
“I’m very happy to qualify and now the most important thing remains: to take the title,” Yamal said.
“We were in a difficult moment because nobody expected his goal. I took it, I didn’t think and I tried to put it in where it went in and that was it. I’m very happy.
On his birthday in Germany in a few days, Yamal said: ” Above all, win, win, win. That’s what we have in mind. My goal was to make it to my birthday here in Germany and now to enjoy it with the team.”