![Rodri of Spain celebrates after winning the UEFA EURO 2024 semi-final match between Spain v France at Munich Football Arena on July 9, 2024 in Munich, Germany](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/09/TELEMMGLPICT000385026880_17205658952770_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrS8Z1b0ZQjNoViJZ3HnGQ3dJc07HAYL41V_gkWNKJsI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
![Rodri of Spain celebrates after winning the UEFA EURO 2024 semi-final match between Spain v France at Munich Football Arena on July 9, 2024 in Munich, Germany](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/09/TELEMMGLPICT000385026880_17205658952770_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqrS8Z1b0ZQjNoViJZ3HnGQ3dJc07HAYL41V_gkWNKJsI.jpeg?imwidth=680)
On such performances are dynasties forged. In the oppressive heat of this Bavarian evening, it felt palpably as if we were witnessing the genesis of the second great Spain team this century, one in every measure equal to the side that swept to three consecutive major trophies from 2008 to 2012. It was not just that Lamine Yamal, a player so young that he risked breaking an 11pm German curfew for underage workers, scored the silkiest goal of the tournament so far at 16. It was the fact that every component of the machine purred perfectly, from Dani Olmo and his Dennis Bergkamp-esque first touch to the unruffled majesty of Rodri, by a distance the world’s finest defensive midfielder.
The best testament to Spain’s pedigree is that they toyed with a France team that had graced the past two World Cup finals. While others might have wobbled on a one-goal lead, especially with a finisher as lethal as Kylian Mbappe waiting to pounce, they stroked the ball around in the final minutes to a chorus of olés. It was a revealing picture of one national team at the end of their natural cycle and another at the beginning of theirs. After a few abortive experiments, Spain have finally found their spiritual healer in Luis de la Fuente, a manager who has already led the country’s Under-19s and Under-21s to European titles and who looks primed to repeat the feat with La Roja.
![Spain manager Luis de la Fuente celebrates with his players](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/football/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385019353_17205937385810_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqRo0U4xU-30oDveS4pXV-Vv4Xpit_DMGvdp2n7FDd82k.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Yamal earned a standing ovation when replaced in the dying seconds – quite the feat given the crowd was at least 50 per cent composed of German fans who had banked on Die Mannschaft being here in the final four. While they mercilessly whistled Marc Cucurella, held responsible for a handball against Germany that went unpunished, they could only marvel at the outrageous poise of Spain’s teenage sensation. A gorgeous, arcing screamer into the top corner? And then an audacious attempt to repeat it? These flourishes are just not meant to be seen on the grandest stage. Or at least not since the time of Pele, whose record as the youngest player ever to start a major semi-final Yamal broke by 247 days.
What magnifies Spain’s achievement is how they had to reach this point via a route strewn with thorns. They have had to beat Croatia, Italy, Germany and France. England, by contrast, are only just about to face top-15 opposition, in the form of the Netherlands. Much as it might irritate Gareth Southgate to hear England’s path described as relatively straightforward, it is patently true. At least now they can be under no illusions as to the task they will confront on Sunday, should they stamp their ticket to Berlin. If they are to banish an infernal hex lasting 58 years, they must find a way of subduing Spain. It is, on this evidence, a proposition that chills the blood.
Where England have laboured to produce five goals against middling opponents, Spain have scored 13, the majority at the expense of Europe’s elite. They are a bewitching team to watch, never faltering in their trust of their style, predicated on the art of launching counter-attacks at blistering speed. They could easily have panicked after falling behind here, given France’s habit of shutting down tight games through swarming defence. Instead, they flipped the balance of the contest in four minutes, galvanised by the wondrous Lamal. The trajectory of his strike will remain seared on the memory of all present, the chutzpah of it all best conveyed by the expression of the injured Pedri, hands on his cheeks in astonishment.
Drawing on the elixir of youth, Spain have reason to believe that no setback is too grave to surmount. By the time Olmo propelled them ahead, you could sense French conviction faltering, in a creeping realisation that their cautious, containing tactics would not save them this time. Not when Rodri, the human metronome at Spain’s heart, had the ball on a string. And not when Yamal mixed precocious genius with the steel of a veteran, making a few sly contributions to running down the clock.
Spain, just 10 months after their women became world champions, are in a major final once more. You have to hope that nobody invites Luis Rubiales this time. For their football is the type of feast that deserves to be savoured without distractions. This neutering of France was a triumph in every department, with Nico Williams instilling terror with his agility and Olmo proving an irresistible menace. De La Fuente, a wise owl at 63, has restored not just fluency to Spain, but vibrancy and a sense of purpose, shifting the emphasis away from a monopoly on possession to direct, dangerous attack. They are a joy to behold in this form. And you fear, frankly, for anyone standing in their way.
Spain serve up a glorious Euro 2024 fiesta to chill England’s blood
Spain will arrive in Berlin as not just the most irresistible attacking force but also battle-hardened after victories over Europe’s elite