Spain came from behind to defeat France and make the Euro 2024 final on Sunday. We look back at the semi-final match in Munich with our Spain vs France stats report.
Spain moved within a game of winning their first major trophy in men’s international football since 2012 as they came from behind to defeat France in Munich.
A record-breaking wonder strike from Lamine Yamal followed by the winner from the ever-reliable Dani Olmo sent them into Sunday’s Euro 2024 final after Randal Kolo Muani had put France into an early lead.
This edition of the Spanish side is very different to the incredibly successful team of 2008-2012, where they won three successive tournaments, but it’s every bit as effective. This victory means they are the first team to win six successive games at the European Championship, and the first to win six in a single edition of the tournament overall.
Unlike Spain, Kylian Mbappé hadn’t enjoyed the best tournament coming into this match. Although he was the only French player to score a goal at Euro 2024 thanks to his penalty versus Switzerland, he’d been hampered by a broken nose suffered in the opening match versus Austria. Tonight saw him get rid of his protective mask, and within eight minutes he’d set up the opening goal of the game.
Finally ending a run of 86 non-penalty shots by French players without scoring at Euro 2024, Mbappé’s delightful cross was met by the head of Kolo Muani, after the striker had peeled away from his marker. It was just Kolo Muani’s fifth goal for France, with two of those coming in major tournament semi-finals. As a result, he became just the third Frenchman to score in both European Championship and World Cup semi-finals after Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane.
The opening 20 minutes was all France, but then the tide turned when Yamal entered the record books. His phenomenal curling strike from outside the box makes him the youngest scorer in European Championship history at just 16 years and 362 days old. His previous 13 shots at the tournament had all failed, but this was worth the wait. Coincidently, it was exactly a year ago that Yamal scored a wonder goal from outside the box for Spain against France in the under-17 Euros.
Just five minutes later, Spain had turned the game around. Olmo might not have started tonight if it wasn’t for Pedri’s injury in the quarter-final win over Germany. In that game, Olmo came on in the ninth minute and provided a goal and an assist to send Spain through. Tonight, he put Spain 2-1 up with his third goal of the tournament, slamming the ball towards the goal off Jules Koundé’s outstretched foot.
France looked shell-shocked, and it took until the 53rd minute for Didier Deschamps’ side to attempt a shot in the match after they’d conceded to Yamal’s wonder strike 21 minutes in.
Théo Hernández was presented with a good chance in the 76th minute, but unfortunately for the full-back, it came on his weaker right foot, and he could only blast the ball over the bar from inside the box. Mbappé then carved open the Spanish defence with five minutes remaining before finding the space to fire in a shot. Unfortunately for France and their star player, the shot followed the theme of his tournament, as he ended Euro 2024 with 24 non-penalty attempts without a goal.
As the second half progressed, France put Spain and more pressure and Luis de La Fuente’s side found themselves going deeper and deeper, not attempting a single shot at goal until 36 minutes after half-time. That would be their only shot in the second half, while they also only had three touches in the French box after the break.
Spain have never lost a European Championship match that they’ve led at half-time, and that run continued tonight. De la Fuente coached Spain to European Championship success at under-19 level in 2016 and under-21 level in 2019. Like tonight, on both of those occasions his Spanish side beat France in the semi-final. Following this win, he’s one game away from completing a unique hat-trick.
For France, it’s a third successive international tournament without a trophy since winning the 2018 World Cup, despite, on paper, having arguably the strongest squad.
Spain progress to Sunday’s final in Berlin, where they’ll face the winners of the second semi-final between England and the Netherlands. It’ll be their fifth European Championship final appearance. Only Germany (6) have made more, while they have the chance to become the first nation to win the Euros on four occasions. They have undoubtedly been the strongest team across Euro 2024, but how often do the best nation go on to win the trophy?
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Spain vs France stats from their Euro 2024 semi-final clash in Munich.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Spain vs France: Post-Match Facts
- At the age of 16 years and 362 days, Spain’s Lamine Yamal became the youngest goalscorer at a major tournament (World Cup/Euros), a record previously held by Brazil’s Pelé against Wales at the 1958 World Cup (17y 239d).
- Spain are the first side to win six games at a single edition of the UEFA European Championship finals, while including World Cups, only Brazil in 2002 have won more games at a single edition of either the World Cup or Euros (7).
- This is the first time France have been eliminated at the semi-final stage of a major tournament (World Cup/Euros) since Euro 1996, with only Germany (8) going out of major tournaments at the semi-final stage more often among European sides than France (6).
- Spain are only the second side to reach as many as five finals of the UEFA European Championship after Germany (6).
- France opened the scoring and lost for only the second time in a game at the UEFA European Championship finals after a 3-2 defeat to Netherlands in the group stages of Euro 2000.
- Kylian Mbappé has now been involved in 11 goals in 12 knockout stage games for France across World Cups and Euros combined (8 goals, 3 assists).
- Randal Kolo Muani’s opening goal in the eighth minute of the game was France’s first goal from open play at Euro 2024 (ex. own goals), while it was their 87th non-penalty attempt of the tournament.
- Randal Kolo Muani has been involved in five goals in his last five starts for France in all competitions (4 goals, 1 assist), while he became just the third player to score for Les Bleus in the semi-finals of both the World Cup and Euros after Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane.
- Dani Olmo became the first Spanish player to score in three successive games at the UEFA European Championship finals, while his five goal involvements at Euro 2024 (3 goals, 2 assists) is the most by a Spaniard at a major tournament since David Silva at Euro 2012 (2 goals, 3 assists).
- Spain’s Lamine Yamal (16y 362d) became the youngest ever player to appear in a semi-final at a major tournament (Euros/World Cup), a record previously held by Brazil’s Pelé (17y 244d vs France at the 1958 World Cup).
- Spain’s Jesús Navas (38y 231d) became the oldest ever outfield player to appear in a semi-final at a major international tournament (Euros/World Cup).
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