ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – As the French defender attempted to clear a ball that he awkwardly headed inside his own penalty area, Lamine Yamal sensed an opportunity and launched himself at Lucas Digne.
Digne didn’t even notice Yamal coming when he raised his leg for a clear kick. His foot collided with the Spanish forward’s thigh and a subsequent penalty call put La Roja in a position to take the lead for good.
Yamal has only scored one goal in this game for Spain. world cup eventually, 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals on Tuesday. Coach Luis de la Fuente tried to say there was more going on than scoring goals when asked about the teenage sensation on the Barcelona star’s 19th birthday the day before the match.
At 19 years and one day old, Yamal set an example for his coach with his debut on soccer’s biggest stage.
“This team interprets every play of the game perfectly,” de la Fuente said through an interpreter after Spain advanced to the final against defending champion Argentina or England in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.
Yamal’s header resulted in a penalty, which went to Mikel Oyarzabal. His perfectly placed shot in the top right corner in the 22nd minute was his team’s fifth goal of the tournament.
Yamal, who did not speak to reporters after the match, is yet to have an assist for his only goal, but without him Spain would not have taken a half-time lead against France, who many considered to be favorites to win the World Cup.
“Everyone has the same direction, the same ideas and knows what is important,” Oyarzabal said in translated comments. “At the end of the day, everyone is trying to put what they have and what everyone can offer into the service of the team.”
When de la Fuente said on the eve of his meeting with the French national team that he thought it was going to be a big day for Yamal, he was talking about scoring goals.
Despite his young age, Yamal believes that scoring is not the only thing that matters, and last season he shared Barcelona’s top goalscoring record with Spanish teammate Ferran Torres, with 16 goals.
“At the end of the day, I play as I am and I don’t think it will ever be better than it is or worse than it is,” Yamal said Monday in translated comments. “So I just give what I have and always give my best for the team. So as long as I give everything and know that’s what people want from me, I don’t feel any pressure.”
Yamal applied the pressure in key moments of the World Cup semi-finals and as a result La Roja advanced.
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