Lamine Yamal loses the 1st final of his career with Spain

Spain could not revalidate its crown in the UEFA Nations League after falling on penalties against Portugal (2-2, 5-3 p.). Despite having more possession (62%) and going into the break with an advantage, La Roja came away empty-handed in Munich on a gray night for Lamine Yamal.

The FC Barcelona winger came from a brilliant performance in the 'semis' against France, but was less effective in the match against the Portuguese. Although a cross from him from the right led to the partial 1-0 scored by Martín Zubimendi in the 21st minute, the Mataró native had little participation in the Selection's attack during the rest of the match.

Lamine Yamal could not shine in his second final with Spain

The '19' struggled to create danger on his wing, as Spain mainly tilted its offense to the left, with Nico Williams. In the one-on-one with Nuno Mendes, the Paris Saint-Germain full-back (MVP of the match) got the best part, making a brutal display to cover the Portuguese left side.

In total, Yamal lost 10 of 17 individual duels, although he recovered 6 balls, in addition to making 4 shots on goal (three saved by Diogo Costa without many complications). He also made 44 passes (88%), creating a couple of chances in the 105 minutes he played.

Luis de la Fuente justifies Lamine's departure: "he was tired"

Vitinha fouls Lamine Yamal in the Nations League final

In the post-match press conference, De la Fuente referred to the departure of the Barça winger after the end of the first part of extra time. "It is normal for Lamine to be tired, he is very young and has had a very hard year", argued the Riojan coach.

"From Thursday to today there has been little rest. He is 17 years old and you have to dose him when appropriate", he added. In that sense, he assured that, with the entry of Yéremy Pino, he wanted to print more energy to the team on the flanks.

Finally, Spain could not break the tie and Portugal became the first winning team of two editions of the Nations League. For Yamal, from this Monday begin a well-deserved vacation after a season in which he accumulated 4,553 minutes of action spread over 55 matches with Barça.

The winger will join the culé preseason just when he turns 18, on July 13, wearing the '10' and with the official presentation of his new contract to be held at the club headquarters. 

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First defeat in four finals for Lamine Yamal

For Lamine, the defeat against Portugal was his first in finals, after winning the European Championship with Spain in 2024 (2-1 against England). In addition, the Mataró native is 2 for 2 with Barça, after the victories against Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup (5-2) and the Copa del Rey (3-2). 

In his three previous finals, the '19' always added goals (1) and assists (3). For the Portuguese, the key to the title, without a doubt, was to nullify the strength of the youth on the right. 

Finals played by Lamine Yamal:

1. Spain 2-1 France (Euro 2024): gave an assist.
2. Barça 5-2 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup 2025): scored a goal.
3. Barça 3-2 Real Madrid (Copa del Rey 2024/25). gave two assists.
4. Portugal 2-2 Spain (Nations League 24/25): played 105 minutes, without goals or assists.