Spain honors standout teenage player, highlighting youthful soccer triumph
Hot squad Spain steals the show in Berlin: At the Olympiastadion, the youthful Spanish troops outmuscle Croatia's seasoned squad containing real-life legend, Luka Modric. In Spain's ranks, the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal leaves spectators in awe, breaking a new record.
Spain made a bold statement at the beginning of their title pursuit at the European Championship. The heavy favorite outmatched the lackluster World Cup third-place finishers Croatia with a dominant 3:0 (3:0) victory and confirmed their aspirations for a fourth EM victory. The Croatians huddled around Modric could barely keep pace with the fast-moving and efficacious Spaniards at times and had to significantly step up their defensive game.
For the goals scored by the team of young starlets, the old guard took charge: Captain Alvaro Morata (29.), Fabian Ruiz (32.), and Dani Carvajal (45.+2) put Spain ahead before halftime. Bruno Petkovic (80.) missed a penalty kick for Croatia. Other competitors in Group B include defending champions Italy and Albania.
Lamine Yamal broke a record from the get-go. The prodigious youngster from FC Barcelona made the starting lineup and is now the youngest EM player in history at 16 years and 338 days. On the right wing, Yamal was expected to create a stir. "The offensive player has an unparalleled talent that only the elect have," said National Coach Luis de la Fuente.
The Spaniards aimed to use this talent. Spain took control early and stretched the game wide. On the wings, Yamal and Nico Williams put pressure on, but often came up short in one-on-ones. Yamal had a tough go against Josko Gvardiol from Manchester City. Until a central attempt from Morata (7.), Spain failed to convert.
Croatia, which enjoyed a clear fan advantage in the Olympiastadion, weathered the storm unscathed and controlled the game initially. Modric called the shots in the midfield, but the Vice-World Champion of 2018 struggled to advance.
This favored Spain more and more as the game progressed. Fabian Ruiz played Morata free with a pass through the gaps in the Croatian defense, and shortly thereafter, the midfielder from Paris St. Germain notched one himself. Croatia's attempts to build up with chances through Mateo Kovacic (30.), Lovro Majer (33.), and Gvardiol (41.) fell short. Instead, Yamal collected his first EM assist on the third goal.
Spain continued to put the pressure on even after the break and pursued more goals. Yamal (52.) almost scored his first tournament goal, Morata (54.) missed a header from Yamal by a hair's breadth. Croatia didn't give up, but posed no significant threat in the attack.
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Despite Luka Modric's best efforts in Croatia's midfield, Spain's young talent, Lamine Yamal, shone brightly in the European Football Championship 2024 match. Yamal's impressive performance for the Spanish squad, which included players like Alvaro Morata and Fabian Ruiz, underlined Spain's title aspirations, even as World Cup third-place finishers Croatia struggled to keep up.
