Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has called on football to “look after” 16-year-old Lamine Yamal after hailing his wonder goal against France as a “stroke of genius”.
Barcelona player Yamal became the youngest ever goalscorer at a major tournament as Spain booked their place in the Euro 2024 final with a 2-1 win over France.
“We saw a touch of genius from a footballer whom we should all take care of,” said De La Fuente.
“I would like him to work with the same humility and continue learning with the same attitude and maturity that he shows on the pitch. He seems like a player with a lot of experience and I hope we can enjoy him for many years,” added the Spanish coach.
De la Fuente became the first coach to win six consecutive Euros. His team will travel to Berlin for their first final since 2012, with a 100 percent record in this year’s tournament, and the coach praised his players and declared that Spain is “where it belongs.”
Lamine Yamal (right) was beaming on Tuesday after scoring a wonder goal for Spain against France.
Yamal equalised for Spain with this stunning long-range strike against France in the semi-finals
French goalkeeper Mike Maignan was powerless to stop the shot, which curled into the top corner.
“My players are exemplary,” said De la Fuente. “Individually they are fantastic but they always work together for the common goal.”
“It is further proof that we are an insatiable team that is eager to continue improving. These players are an example for all the youngsters in our country. We want to continue making history and stay focused until Sunday’s final in Berlin,” he added.
Spain’s celebrations after the final whistle were cut short when a security member slipped and injured their captain, Alvaro Morata. However, De la Fuente insisted that Morata is expected to be fine for Sunday’s final.
“We’ll wait until tomorrow (Wednesday) to see how Alvaro (Morata) is. I don’t think it’s anything and we think he’ll be fine,” he said.
Meanwhile, France coach Didier Deschamps admitted he was “responsible” for his departure but stressed his players had not performed at their best at the Euros.
Randal Kolo Muani’s opener against Spain was France’s first goal from open play in the tournament and only their fourth goal in six games at Euro 2024.
“My players did not play at 100 percent of their capacity at the Euros for several reasons,” Deschamps explained.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente described the 16-year-old’s goal as “a stroke of genius”
“Although we managed to reach the semi-finals, we were up against a Spanish team with a lot of quality. They dominated the game better. I don’t doubt the effort of my players, but we didn’t perform well.”
And Deschamps heaped praise on Yamal after the Spanish winger produced one of the great moments of the Euros to equalise for Spain before Dani Olmo gave Spain the lead four minutes later.
“His shot (Yamal’s) was magnificent,” said Deschamps. “He deserves all the recognition he deserves.”
