-
Anthony Gharib, ESPN
Lamine Yamal scored one of the best goals of Euro 2024 in Spain’s 2-1 win over France, then responded to one of his doubters post game — Adrien Rabiot.
Prior to the semifinal matchup, the French midfielder was asked if the stage would be too big for the 16-year-old Spanish star.
“Obviously it could be difficult for him to deal with a semifinal in a big tournament,” Rabiot said. “It’s up to us to put pressure on him and to take him out of his comfort zone. And to reach a final at the Euros, he needs to do more than he’s done up until now.”
Yamal, who entered Tuesday’s match with a tournament-high 3 assists, took notice of Rabiot’s comments.
He posted a message on his Instagram story before the game that read: “Move in silence, only speak when it’s time to say checkmate.” After Spain eliminated France, he made good on the message, exclaiming, “Speak now.”
Before Spain vs. France, Rabiot said Lamine Yamal needed to do more than he’s done now.
After Spain beat France, Lamine Yamal said this to the camera 🥶 pic.twitter.com/S2DAXh6cq2
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 9, 2024
The moment came after a game in which Yamal scored a wonder goal in the first half as he was defended by Rabiot.
The strike made Yamal the youngest player ever to score at a men’s European Championship. His performance also led to him becoming the youngest player to win a Man of the Match award in a UEFA game.
Spain will take on the winner of England and Netherlands in the Euro 2024 final Sunday.