France and Spain meet in the Euro 2024 semi-finals on Tuesday, with the winner likely to be the favourite for Sunday’s final against England or the Netherlands.
Spain have been the tournament’s best team, winning all five of their games and outscoring their opponents 11-2. They beat Germany in extra time in the quarter-finals after eliminating Georgia in the round of 16. Spain will be without several key players on Tuesday, including injured midfielder Pedri and suspended defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand.
Despite an incredibly talented squad, France failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament in Munich. After finishing second to Austria in the group stage, France beat Belgium 1-0 to start the knockout stages before beating Portugal on penalties after 120 minutes of scoreless play in the quarter-finals. The French scored just three times in five games: two own goals and a penalty from Kylian Mbappé.
Follow live updates from Tuesday’s clash:
Euro 2024 TV channel
The France-Spain match on Tuesday will be broadcast on FOX and can be streamed via FoxSports.com or Fubo.
Goal! Yasmine Lamal, 16, scores the 1-1
The young Spanish phenomenon scored a stunning goal from outside the box to level the score, neatly into the far corner beyond French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Yamal, 16, is the youngest player in the history of the European Championship and has made three assists in Spain’s first five games of the tournament.
Goal! Kolo Muani gives France the lead early in the match
Randal Kolo Muani headed in a cross from Kylian Mbappe to give France a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute.
The goal from 25-year-old Kolo Muani came after a period of Spanish pressure and was desperately needed for a France side who have struggled to score in this tournament.
Spain and France in the semi-finals of Euro 2024
The Euro 2024 semi-final between Spain and France has officially kicked off in Munich, with the winner advancing to Sunday’s final.
Spain managed to get the ball into dangerous areas in the opening minutes, most notably when Fabián Ruiz failed to convert a free header from a curling cross from 16-year-old Lamine Yamal in the fifth minute.
France-Spain team composition: Kylian Mbappé starts
Spain will be without three of its best players for the semi-final: Pedri (injured), Dani Carvajal (suspended) and Robin Le Normand (suspended).
Spain: Unai Simon; Jesus Navas, Nacho, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams; Alvaro Morata (c).
France:Mike Maignan; Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba, Théo Hernandez; N’Golo Kanté, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembélé, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappé (c)
France-Spain odds
Odds via BetMGM
Regular time result:
- France: +200
- Spain: +170
- Draw: +180
To advance:
Jesus Navas, 38, makes his debut for Spain
Right-back Dani Carvajal will miss the semi-final through suspension, forcing 38-year-old Jesus Navas into a starting role for Spain.
Navas made his international debut in 2009 and won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain, playing for Sevilla and Manchester City. He recently signed a “lifetime” contract with his boyhood club Sevilla.
Kylian Mbappé, future French champion against Spain?
France coach Didier Deschamps has faith in Kylian Mbappe, who will return to form in Tuesday’s semi-final against Spain despite his struggles throughout the tournament.
Mbappe’s broken nose, suffered at the start of Euro 2024, requires him to wear a mask, but even with the protection he appeared to struggle after a painful blow from a ball to the side of the face against Portugal, was not as involved as before and played without his usual arrogance.
Deschamps said the dip in form from Mbappe, whose only goal in the tournament was a penalty against Poland in the group stage, was understandable given the many setbacks he has suffered in recent weeks.
“It’s not just the last game, but everything he had to deal with before, with a back problem at the end of the championship, the trauma he had (to his nose). He could have been forced to leave the tournament,” Deschamps told reporters.
– Reuters
Lamine Yamal shines for Spain at 16 years old
Lamine Yamal, the youngest player in Euro history, was one of the most exciting performers at the tournament, registering three assists as his team won all five games en route to the semi-finals.
Frenchman Adrien Rabiot told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s match that keeping Yamal uncomfortable would be the key to success.
“We saw that he was a player who knew how to handle pressure very well,” Rabiot said. “It will be up to us to put pressure on him above all, not to let him feel comfortable and to show him that to play in a Euro final, he will have to do much more than he has done so far.”
Spain wants a “great show” in the semi-final against France
While Spain looked in imperial form during their five-game winning streak in Germany, goal-shy France were criticised by fans and pundits for their unimpressive performances and reached the last four without scoring a goal from open play.
Spain coach Luis De la Fuente said he did not think watching France was “boring” but acknowledged Spain had a different approach to the game under his watch.
“We’re all trying to build a game plan that will help you win. Our model is to do that through a great show,” he said at a news conference.
“Spain is a team that attracts attention, I don’t deny it, it’s our DNA, but in the end, here it’s about winning. We want to play, but we want to be practical.”
– Reuters
Pedri injured for Spain
Spain midfielder Pedri, 21, suffered a knee injury in a violent tackle by Tony Kroos in the quarter-final win over Germany, ending his tournament prematurely.
The injury happened less than 10 minutes into the match and Kroos, who retired after the defeat, apologised to Pedri in an Instagram post – to which Pedri responded.
“Thank you Toni Kroos for your message,” Pedri said. “This is football and these things happen. Your career and your story will be remembered forever.”
France coach Didier Deschamps tries to avoid leaks
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot says coach Didier Deschamps was forced to keep his tactical plans secret, even from his own players, as they leaked ahead of European Championship games.
Deschamps is said to have changed both the line-up and tactical approach hours before the quarter-final win over Portugal last Friday and also failed to inform the players of the team’s composition before they were on the bus en route to the stadium.
“There is inevitably collateral damage. It is difficult for the coach, when he tries to put his strategy in place, because the information leaks as soon as training is over,” Rabiot explained at the press conference before France’s semi-final against Spain on Monday. “It is not nice to see that, when you have really worked hard on something, at the end of the session, the media have already heard about it.”
– Reuters
Where is the Euro 2024 final taking place?
The Euro 2024 final will be played on Sunday 14 July at the Olympiastadion in Berlin. The stadium previously hosted the 2006 World Cup final (Italy’s victory over France) and the 2015 UEFA Champions League final.
Euro 2024 final date
The Euro 2024 final is scheduled for Sunday, July 14 at 3 p.m. (Eastern Time) in Berlin.
Contribution from Reuters
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