Never before, on the eve of a semi-final, have comments been so ill-timed as those made by Adrien Rabiot . The self-assured and somewhat haughty France midfielder appeared before the media in the press room at the Allianz Arena to make a provocative comment that inflamed Lamine Yamal on the pitch and marked the beginning of the end for Didier Deschamps’ team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Lamine has shown that he is a player who can cope well with stress, he has a lot of qualities. He can play for his club and in a big tournament like this. He has a cool head, but it can be a bit difficult to play a semi-final like this in a big tournament like this. It will be a matter of putting pressure on him. We want to get him out of his comfort zone. If he wants to play in a final, he will have to show more than he has done ,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That challenge from Rabiot, who invited the Barcelona player to climb another step in his climb to the German footballing heaven, was his doom. He had to eat his words, to which the skilled Spanish winger already responded with a late-night message the day before the match. On his social networks he posted an enigmatic phrase although apparently dedicated to Rabiot: “Move in silence and speak only to checkmate.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His checkered letter was a silent cry for respect. Lamine Yamal was simply going to speak on the pitch . While he waited for his turn, the time of the match, D-day, H-hour, not a word. Silence prevailed over the noise and mouths closed in the face of the chatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it did not take long for Lamine to begin the exhibition with which he was crowned in the Allianz Arena. Twenty minutes in, he stopped time in Munich with a shot for the history books. His left-footed shot from outside the area, exquisite, powerful, teleported into the corner of the French goal, served to equalise a match that had been put up against Spain by Kolo Muani’s goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lamine Yamal, in just one second, did much more than Rabiot, infected by the mediocrity of French football, marked by insulting stinginess and a sombre loss of identity .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After his extraordinary performance, which made him the MVP of the match, the media spotlight was on him when the referee blew the final whistle. Then, Lamine approached a camera and said “speak now, speak now .” Just as he had announced on his social networks, the Bar\u00e7a winger only spoke to say checkmate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pic.twitter.com\/6gkeGjtG7x<\/a><\/p>— J10 \ud83d\udd4a\ufe0f (@JFCB10i) July 9, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>