Thousands of young people crowded the streets of Mataro on the outskirts of Barcelona, the home of Euro 2024 superstar Lamine Yamal, shortly after Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final. Euphoria was everywhere in Spain Monday (15.07.2024).
On the Colon field, according to Reuters, in Madrid, the capital of the country, La Furia Roja, the European champion, became frenetic. There was a lot of noise with screams, blowing trumpets, whistles, singing, an outpouring of euphoria, when the name of teenage star Lamine Yamal (17) was announced as ‘The Young Player of the Tournament”. The most important young man in this European Cup.
Millions of eyes in Spain were focused on television screens or gathered around giant screens showing live football matches from Berlin, when Lamine Yamal and friends won England with a goal in the last minutes before the end, 2-1.
“Euphoria. Extraordinary joy. We deserved to win…,” said Nico Williams, the field star who opened the victory for Spain with a beautiful goal from the left wing, thanks to Lamine Yamal’s through ball from the right side. What a beautiful goal in the early minutes after the break.
However, Cole Palmer’s equalizer soon made Spain nervous, until Oyarzabal scored less than five minutes before the final whistle, in the 86th minute, making it difficult for Spain to catch up 2-1.
“This is the best birthday present I could ask for,” said Lamine Yamal, who just two days celebrated his 17th birthday, Saturday (13.07.2024). “A dream has come true…,” said the FC right winger Barcelona, who was recorded as the youngest Euro goalscorer in history, scored against France when he was 16 years 362 days old, two years earlier.
Spain arrived in Germany without star players like England, and also Germany, France, Netherlands…. And other European teams. Spain instead brought in its youngest player, Lamine Yamal, who is still 16 years and 360 days old, and is completely unknown except at home at Camp Nou, Barcelona.
Apparently, in the course of the tournament, the youthful spark of Lamine Yamal and also the pigtailed Nico Williams combined perfectly with their veterans who are better known in Europe, Rodri and other Spanish mainstay players, all of whom have never experienced lifting a big Euro trophy, even though Spain has done it three times. champion.
Spain won all seven matches, none of which ended in a penalty shootout, and recorded a record 15 goals in this European Championship. This happened by passing European “traditional powers” such as Croatia and Italy in the group phase, before finally eliminating world champions Germany and France to reach the final.
“We made history,” said Rodri, who was voted best player after winning the final with England. “We beat four world champions in a row. This is the most difficult tournament our team has ever faced. And yet we beat them all,” said Rodri, whose full name is Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante (28), is also a Manchester United defensive midfielder.
“We are now aiming for the World Cup title…,” said the pigtailed Nico Williams (22), who opened the goal for Spain against England in the final…
But this is the most important thing. Spain has abandoned the Tiki Taka game that has dominated Europe for a decade. They have abandoned the foot-to-foot game, which often attracted impatient spectators. Spain appeared full of enthusiasm. With just a little Tiki Taka.
England’s efforts, to abandon the typical British style of ‘kick and rush football’ by immersing themselves in the European game of Tiki Taka, did not produce results. England, which has been without a title since the 1966 World Cup, has not yet managed to win with its Tiki Taka…
Spain have entered a period of underachievement since their success at Euro 2012. And this time, their efforts to maintain their Tiki Taka style of play collapsed. Without their stars, Iniesta and his colleagues, Spain experienced a sluggish performance. It’s like making more than a thousand passes, only a few of which are successfully netted using this fiddling style.
In Germany this time, football observers also noticed that Spain apparently deployed their new weapons which made it difficult for the opposing defense to cover piercing attacks from all angles.
Although among the Spanish team there were still those who maintained a little football possession and did some fighting like Rodri and fellow midfielder, Fabian Ruiz. However, Spain’s strength is now starting to shift to the flanks.
Their youngest player, Lamine Yamal, shows in every match how to maneuver from the right wing, then penetrate into the middle with through passes or direct kicks from long distance from the front of the goal.
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal immediately scored a classic goal to help his team beat France 2-1 in the semi-final, and he also provided his fourth assist of the tournament to be the actor behind Nico Williams’ beautiful goal, against England’s Pickford.
Like a flash of lightning from the left wing, Nico Williams is often seen playing on the right side. Collaborate with Marc Cucurella to create a duo that is difficult for opposing defense players to block. Cucurella, who is the shortest in his team, also provided the pass to Mikel Oyarzabal who scored the winning goal against England.
The new Spanish style of players who might attract the interest of European clubs to end Tiki Taka, apart from Williams, is also Atletico Bilbao striker Dani Olmo who plays for Leipzig. It is estimated that this Olmo will also attract the interest of clubs who do not want to continue playing tiki taka games.
“Many don’t believe me, from the start of the match (Euro 2024) I said, I currently have the 26 best players in the world…” said coach Luis de la Fuente. Apart from perhaps the fact that he is still a new coach, Spain is also currently in a gray situation, with a corruption scandal within the Spanish Football Federation, involving former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
“The veterans advised us to make sure the young players remain calm in difficult times. We make them dynamic, happy, and we form a dynamic team too…” said De la Fuente.
In Spain’s difficult times domestically, it turned out that De la Fuente was able to guide especially his young players to become enthusiastic on the field. By leaving the game full of suits, tiki taka, with a more energetic game.
ASL
