Four things we learnt as Spain booked their place in the European Championship final
Lamine Yamal celebrates as Spain reach the European Championship final. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images.)

This game began with a captivating first half, followed by a more strategic and intense second half.

It started with France showing shades of their 2018 World Cup-winning form, especially Kylian Mbappé, who was seen without his mask for the first time since the tournament's opening round.

Less than 10 minutes in, the French had the lead through Randal Kolo Muani's header, who finished coolly from Mbappé's cross, and it looked like Les Blues were up to their usual tricks.

That lead did not last long, as Lamine Yamal delivered a moment that will go down not just in European Championship history but pure footballing history. He fired off a curling effort from 25 yards out, which kissed the post and beat a diving Mike Maignan.

This strike saw the 16-year-old become the youngest goalscorer in men's European Championship history, a record that will take some beating.

Five minutes after that, Spain had turned the game on its head when Dani Olmo showed great technical ability in the box to control the ball in a tight area before firing an effort towards the goal, which Jules Koundé put into the back of his own net as he attempted to clear it.

The two sides continued to play the first half ferociously, and both continued to look menacing.

The Second half saw the Spaniards dig deep and attempt to hold on to their lead, displaying a grit and tenacity not usually associated with Spain. This was enough to see them reach the Euros final for the first time in 12 years.

It was a dramatic and, at times, tense night in the Allianz Arena, but what did we learn from it?

  • Spain silence the doubters

It would be wrong to say Spain were unfancied coming into this tournament, but they certainly flew under a couple of people's radar.

That may have something to do with the fact that when people think of Spain, they think of that ridiculous side that won three major tournaments in a row from 2008 to 2012.

On paper, when we compare the modern-day team to that one, it is night and day in terms of name value and ability.

This was not just in countries outside of Spain; the Spanish were quite self-loathing and had little aspiration of doing well in this tournament.

Luckily for the Spanish, football is not played on paper; they are European Championship finalists.

They have reminded the rest of Europe and themselves what an incredible footballing nation they are, and they should never be overlooked at any major tournament and this performance against the French confirmed that. 

Luis de la Fuente is not a household name to many football fans outside of Spain.

He has been apart of the Royal Spanish Football Federation for over a decade, taking over the Spanish-under 19 team in 2013.

He has worked his way up to the head of the table to become the manager of the Spanish first team, and he has wholly revitalised a nation that was still caught up with the heroes of yesteryear.

Any tournament after the 2012 European Championship saw Spain go through the motions of what had become expected of them.

They played excellent football without ever really leaving their mark on any competition.

The zenith of this came in the 2022 World Cup, where, on average, they had 77% possession but still found themselves eliminated in the last 16.

De la Fuente has come in and changed the identity of this team, with less focus on the tiki-taka style we had come to know from them and an emphasis placed on direct, attacking play from their exciting wingers and utilising crosses into a game Álvaro Morata.

We have seen this bear out in this tournament, as they have wowed viewers and left opponents bemused by this complete 180 in style.

The final thing we needed to see from them was an ability to get down in trenches and properly scrap with an opponent, and they did just that in the game against France.

The first 45 minutes saw them play as they have throughout the tournament, without fear and with a constant desire to move the ball forward at pace.

The second period showed us a different side of Spain, a side that we did not know they had.

That was the ability to frustrate opponents and hang on to tight leads.

Spain genuinely look like a force to be reckoned with and a side that can do just about anything, and much of that can be attributed to Luis de la Fuente.

Whoever they should meet in the final will have their hands full trying to beat this side.

  • Lamine Yamal has created footballing history

"He'll have to produce more than he's done so far if he wants to play a Euro final".

These were the words of Adrien Rabiot when speaking to the press about Lamine Yamal before the game.

The former Juventus man was left red-faced when the 16-year-old sidestepped him and launched a spectacular effort from distance to score one of the great European Championship goals.

Without a doubt, this was THE moment of the tournament.

This goal will go down in footballing history and will be remembered for however long Yamal plays as the moment he well and truly announced himself on the world stage.

This goal makes him the youngest goalscorer in a men's European Championship.

A stark reminder of how young he is came when he smiled after his goal, and we saw a glimpse of his braces.

So young, but he carried himself with the maturity of someone who had been playing for many a year.

He has gone from a surprising inclusion in the Spain squad to a vital player in the first team.

Something suggests that he is not entirely done with this tournament and will be keen to make a mark on Sunday's final.

This has been a rough tournament for the Real Madrid star.

It started with him breaking his nose against Austria and then missing the game against the Netherlands.

He came back sporting a mask for the final group game, in which he scored a penalty but was overall underwhelming.

His poor form carried over to the knockout rounds, where he looked hampered by injury and failed to make a genuine impact for his side in two knockout games.

But the semi-final saw him take to the pitch without a mask, and for the first 25 minutes, he looked like the frightening winger we all know.

It was his delightful cross that Randal Kolo Muani headed home from to give Didier Deschamps' side the lead.

Even before that, he made intelligent runs and had Jesús Navas on toast.

But as the game went on and France became more desperate, Mbappé's influence waned.

The France captain had the lowest amount of touches from any outfield player, a mere 30.

There was a moment when Mbappé received the ball on the edge of the box and cut inside to shoot; it seemed inevitable that he was about to have his moment and drag his side back into the tie.

Instead, he blazed his shot miles over the bar, leaving French supporters shocked that their talismanic figure could not deliver in their hour of need.

It was a rough night and tournament for the Parisian-born forward, who will undoubtedly be frustrated with his performances throughout. He looked far from his usual best.