There’s no such thing as a quiet night when Lamine Yamal is on the pitch. The Barcelona wonderkid put on a show against the Netherlands, scoring a stunning goal in extra time before sweating through a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. Spain won 5-4 on penalties but it could’ve gone horribly wrong for the 16-year-old.
Key Highights
- Lamine Yamal’s Highs & Lows – Scored a wonder goal but fluffed his penalty in a chaotic night.
- Oyarzabal Delivers – Stepped up as a makeshift No.9, scoring twice like a natural striker.
- Pedri’s Impact – Benched at first, but transformed Spain’s attack the moment he came on.
A Dream Goal, A Nightmare Miss
Lamine Yamal’s goal? Pure class. He brought down a long ball with the finesse of a seasoned veteran before curling it past Bart Verbruggen. That’s the kind of goal that makes you go, “Yeah, this kid is special.”
But football is cruel. Minutes later Yamal had the chance to win it from the spot. He stepped up, took a deep breath… and missed. Ouch.
Luckily for him Donyell Malen missed his penalty too and Pedri scored the winner. Talk about dodging a bullet.
Oyarzabal: Unexpected Hero
With Alvaro Morata still feeling sick Luis de la Fuente gave the No.9 role to Mikel Oyarzabal. He’s not your typical striker but he delivered. He won and scored an early penalty and then showed poacher’s instincts to score again in normal time. If Spain had lost he might’ve been forgotten. Instead he left the pitch a hero.
The Pedri Effect
De la Fuente’s decision to bench Pedri raised eyebrows. Spain lacked a final pass in the first half and couldn’t break down the Dutch defence. But as soon as Pedri came on everything changed. He controlled the game, found spaces and ultimately he was the one to stay calm and score the winning penalty. He’s built for the big moments.
Spain Survive But Questions Remain
Yes Spain are through but they made hard work of it. The Netherlands matched them all along and Spain’s defence showed cracks. If they want to win the Nations League they can’t be this shaky at the back.And Yamal? Well that was a rollercoaster. A goal to dream about, a penalty to erase from the memory and a reminder that football is as much in the head as in the feet. He’ll be fine. They always are.
