The age of Lamine Yamal It's so outrageous that, when you're about to take a free kick on the edge of the penalty area, you first wonder if you're of legal age to take that free kick. A few minutes later a deeply charged cross was released from his boots, a happy and tense cross to the far post that Fabián finished with such power that he put the ball and the goalkeeper inside. 2-1 and double relief: to the temporary victory of Spain Some merit was added, namely overcoming an unexpected goal from Georgia on their first visit to the Spanish region. We had to do that stress test and what better way to do it than in the round of 16 and in the most cruel way, after a brutal avalanche from Spain on the Georgia goal.
After fifteen minutes of play it seemed as if 60 minutes had been played. You looked at the television and rubbed your eyes: is this really just a game? Spain had reached the goal ten times. With each play a beautiful tornado of passes formed that invariably ended in the opposite area; the Malay drop, but without a clear end. They did not score and it did not matter, because the size of the game and the chances did not predict a setback: the Georgian defense was not an impenetrable wall either. And that is why it seemed as if a long time had passed, because the nice and friendly things that brighten up our lives pass so quickly, in such a flirtatious fleeting way, that it gives us the impression that it has been a whole life, while it has only been. a few minutes. What weather, summer. Spain scored a goal and the corresponding alarms went off: what is it like to see a goal in the opponent's cabinet? What is it like to lose? How are you going to react?
After a few minutes of intoxication, the team returned to what it was doing: open play to the wings and mercilessly suffocating Georgia until they surrounded it in its area. Why the entire Georgian team is in the area and Rodri has the ball two meters in front is a matter of a few videos or a few training sessions. The midfielder did not even have to shoot with his good leg: with his left foot he placed it in the corner. Cruel moment because at that moment we at home realized that the broadcast had been delayed; There was an explosion of joy in the neighborhood when Rodri put the leg together: what optimism!, we thought. The goal of Spain was followed by the usual monologue: tenacious, heavy and brilliant. After the 2-1 score came the play of Nico Williams, bright all night, fast and visible like a comet: he took the ball in a run and left his defense behind him so easily that the neighborhood exploded with joy at the evasion. Dani Olmo completed the score, which had the brilliance of the comeback, the right and necessary answers: you know how to play from the back, you know not to lose your nerve, you know how to temper the ball and you know not to lose your head. You know how to win.
Germany awaits, host. Spain is the favorite to win the European Championship because it is the team that has played the best and won the best matches so far. He has more and better resources, an overwhelming physique, two giants in the center: Fabián and Rodri, two stars in a state of grace and ready to make history in such a showcase as Yamal and Williams. But you can be a favorite to win the European Championship and lose against Germany on Friday: that's how football works. It is up to Spain to put the competition on time. The selection is already there.
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