Yamal and Spain Reach Euro Final

Tyler Stearns |

Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo's wonderful goals against France yesterday led the Spaniards to victory. Though France had a goal in the match, it was one-sided. Spain was constantly creating opportunities and playing an attractive brand of football. France, on the other hand, sat back and defended for most of the match. When they did attack, Mbappe and Dembele were poor in the final third. Kolo Muani had a nice header off of Kylian's killer cross, but Les Bleus couldn't create much else. They genuinely had no other major chances to score.

Lamine Yamal, Adrien Rabiot, and Theo Hernandez, Via The Independent

Lamine Yamal is the best right winger in the world. He is better than Saka, Salah, and others. Though his goal record is nowhere near the likes of the established right attackers in England and Spain, his dribbling and chance creation are top-notch. He has had three assists and one goal in the Euros (a banger finish outside the box versus France). Each of his three assists has been amazing and has set up the receiving player for success. He already has a signature move, "The Yamal Cross," which features him kicking the ball from the inside of his foot to the opposite post. He has had two assists from it so far this tournament and even more good chances created from it. Though he has gotten most of the credit due to his age, his attacking counterparts Dani Olmo and Nico Williams have been just as good. Olmo has scored two goals in the last two games, both wonderful finishes. Nico Williams scored a great goal versus Georgia and hasn't been afraid to take a single fullback on. Barcelona have recently stated they are financially capable of signing Williams, which would be amazing for the Barca attack if they had two 1on1 wingers on each end of the pitch.

As for France, the Blues have a lot of work to do before the next World Cup. Their defense was superb throughout the tournament. After Deschamps decided to start Saliba instead of Konate, teams had a much tougher time breaking through the French defense. Theo Hernandez and Kounde were great defensively and in the future as well. The attack was another story. Mbappe was, to put it lightly, underwhelming this Euros. He scored one goal (penalty) and assisted another, numbers that are embarrassing for a star of his caliber. His dribbling was also poor and he didn't create too many open chances aside from the Austria game. Dembele wasn't great either. He played decent against Portugal but didn't score or assist this tournament. Kolo Muani was the only goalscorer during open play, as all other wins and goals came from penalties.

It's pretty much inevitable that Spain will win the Euros this year. They have had one of the best runs that Europe has ever seen with players who have showcased great individual skill. It doesn't matter if the Netherlands or England win, because the Spaniards will dominate the final as they have every other game.