Lamine Yamal says he sometimes feels like Superman or Spiderman, and Spanish fans are starting to think he might be. There’s a comic book hero about what a teenager is up to now, with some inexplicable superpower swelling inside him. He scored inside six minutes for the third game in a row and Spain completed their World Cup homecoming in Oviedo with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic, earning them a point from the Nations League quarter-finals. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente put it simply: “Lamine Yamal is on his way to becoming a legend.”
However, in a game that looked over at half-time, when Spain led 2-0 after Rodrigo Hernandez added a second and Lamine Yamal pulled one back, the threat returned as if his show was over. The Czech Republic, much improved after the break, pulled one back through Jiri Slama in the 69th and were denied an equalizer in the 79th minute after referee Vassilis Fotias, who saved Spain, harshly ruled out a Ryan Naderi goal – apparently for a foul on Robin Le Normand from a free-kick.
Soon reduced to 10 men, the still furious Czech Republic finally had two minutes remaining when Mikel Merino put Spain to safety. The options Carlos Tartiere’s first visit in 11 years ended as they had hoped. Once again, they were greeted as world and European champions, and again they were hailed as winners. A night that began with Santi Cazorla and Juan Mata, academy products at Real Oviedo and members of the generation to which all others will forever be compared, presented Rodri with the World Cup, began in an unimaginably, absurdly familiar way, and ended with a threat no one expected.
Lamine Yamal scored 104 seconds at Wembley and 70 seconds later in Seville, Spain beat England and Croatia. And the stupid thing was that his goal here could have come even sooner. Fifteen seconds later, the first flurry of excitement swept through the place as he fired past the keeper, and after just fifty-seven, Oviedo almost exploded. However, Lamine Yamal, running onto Dani Olmo’s cross, calmly slotted past goalkeeper Antonin Kinski…and just past the post.
Instead, he would have to wait until the end of the sixth minute. Playing a quick one-two with Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal won possession in the top right corner of the area and fired another furious shot into the far corner, becoming ridiculously routine. They played for five minutes and 20 seconds, while another stadium erupted in a roar that spoke of joy but also a kind of disbelief. He was there for 320 seconds and took it to 494 seconds to score three goals.
Spain were in no rush, but in control and their chances were piling up: they scored 13 shots to 1 by half-time and enjoyed 70% of possession. They added a second in the 32nd minute. Rodri gathered near the center circle and did something he rarely does. The man who looked like he was walking at times, controlled the game with his wits and without fuss, happy enough to leave the ball to others to do his thing, went for a run. Moving forward in midfield, he got close to Pedri, whose return set him up to fire high into the net with a touch from the defender.
Next Lamine slid in Alex Baena, who was denied by Yamal Kinsky. A bit of a scrappy pass from Baena then found Lamine, whose shot was slightly crushed and wide. Baena, who oohed and ahhed at half-time with one great touch, is back, Lamine Yamal is done here, another show is over. The game, on the other hand, was not. That, at least, was the intention of the Czech Republic, and they should probably have been rewarded, with the visitors stepping forward decisively and taking some control. They also reduced the score with 20 minutes remaining.
The move started from deep: moving to the right and center, Jiri Slama ran to catch up. Adam Hlozek saw it coming and flicked the ball into his path for David Raya to head low and right.
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A first mistake from the Spain keeper almost gave the Czech Republic an equalizer when Raya came on and his misplaced cross only found Ondrej Lingr, and a second mistake he really should have made sooner rather than later. But if it was a relief for Spain when Lingrin’s shot went wide of the unguarded goal, it was even bigger when the referee disallowed Ryan Nadel’s effort.
There was distrust for the Czech Republic. Michal Sadilek’s long pass was headed by Ladislav Krejci and Raya, who reached the post, could not stop. The ball landed on the line and Nadel pushed it in. But the judge flew into the air. It was hard for Santi Denia on the touchline to take it in, and equally hard not to feel sympathy. In addition, when Krejci was sent off soon after and Victor Muñoz was sent out wide, Kinski bounced into the blocking area, and Merino ended the celebration alive forever.