The day Lamine Yamal brought down the Blue Fortress

The miracle of young Lamine Yamal

It has been a very long time since we last saw a high school player play such brilliant football in his first major tournament. One has to go back a long way to find someone like him, the great Pele, who at 17 years old won the 1958 World Cup with Brazil in Sweden.

Of course, there's only one Pele, and it's hard to compare Yamal to the late Brazilian legend, but it's true that at the age of 17, he accomplished so many extraordinary things. It was his first goal of the tournament, a dreamlike strike from outside the penalty area. It came after Yamal had already provided three assists for his teammates at this EURO and received strong praise from the press. But this goal helped him go even further on his path to becoming a great player, as it was incredibly important for Spain on their way to winning their first EURO title in 12 years.

His speed and excellent shot, combined with Nico Williams' penetrating power, brought down France's most solid defense in the tournament, which was breached twice in four minutes of the first half by the youthful Spanish attack.

In the second half, the youngster had another dribble and long-range shot, from a distance close to where he had beaten Mike Maignan. The Spanish stands erupted in joy and they chanted "Yamal Yamal." How could they remain silent in the face of such a great talent, who played football with a maturity and composure beyond his years? Luis de la Fuente's team, coached by someone who looked like a professor, also played calmly and rather leisurely after taking the lead, calmly neutralizing every French attack. Spain's defense, missing two players due to suspensions, was like a black hole swallowing everything in its path, exposing the weaknesses in France's attack.

Kylian Mbappe took off his mask and the French attack was exposed for much of the match. They scored, but also fell behind, and their helplessness, as in previous games, was understandable. No own goal helped them. Nor were there any penalty opportunities. A complete failure. When Olivier Giroud came on, some of the French fans in the stands booed. Three of the four top goalscorers in French history were on the pitch at the end of the second half: Giroud, Mbappe, and Griezmann. All they produced was a big fat zero.

Before the match, a French colleague told me: "France will win and reach the final with a 0-0 draw." Was that a way of mocking France's style of play, or a compliment to the boring pragmatism that Didier Deschamps applied to the French team? Ultimately, in a match where France scored first and pushed the game into an open style, they allowed a youngster under 17 to wreak havoc, while their biggest star, Kylian Mbappe, aside from the accurate pass that led to Kolo Muani's header, played like a shadow against the 38-year-old veteran Jesus Navas and didn't improve much after Navas was injured and left the field. Before the match, in the press conference, Deschamps also told a reporter: "If you feel bored, it's best you watch something else. This is a completely different EURO for all of us."

France-Spain was undoubtedly the most exciting match of the EURO so far, and also the best game France has played in the tournament. Sadly, in this memorable match, France's steel fortress was shattered by a boy under 17 years old, sending them home.