Spain beats France 2-1 to reach Euro 2024 final

Spain did more than reach the Euro 2024 final in Munich on July 9, 2024. It stripped France of the control expected from a favorite, recovered from an early deficit and won 2-1 through a performance that belonged as much to Luis de la Fuente’s structure as to the finishers who delivered it.

France struck first, but Spain refused to unravel. De la Fuente’s side settled the match by pushing the tempo through the right side, where 38-year-old Jesús Navas gave Spain an experienced outlet and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal supplied the decisive edge. UEFA singled out that partnership as a central piece of the comeback, and the contrast between the veteran full-back and the teenage winger became the clearest symbol of the semifinal.

Yamal’s goal changed the tone of the match and the tournament. At 16 years and 362 days, he became the youngest scorer in the history of a EURO final phase, and UEFA also identified him as the youngest player ever to appear in a semifinal at either the EURO or the World Cup. Dani Olmo added Spain’s other goal, completing the turnaround and sending Spain into the final.

The result carried a larger tactical meaning because the two teams arrived on different paths. France had advanced with more difficulty and entered the semifinal carrying the heavier billing, while Spain had shown greater fluency in attack throughout the tournament. In Munich, that difference showed in the way Spain sustained pressure, found combinations on the wing and forced France into chasing the game rather than dictating it.

For De la Fuente, the night strengthened a growing reputation for handling elite knockout games with discipline and clarity. For Spain, it was the kind of semifinal that defined the team’s identity: a side able to mix youth with experience, use width to break a stubborn opponent and trust its structure when the match turned against it. The win carried Spain into the final, where it finished the job and lifted Euro 2024.