Lamine Yamal, Spain’s young star, had no time to think about his big match in the biggest match of his career, with La Roja winning the goal-margin and qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026 final with a commanding 2-0 victory over France.
After the final whistle, the 19-year-old shared his excitement with fans on Instagram and took photos from the semi-final and posted the caption:
"nuevayol vamos por ti," which means, “New York, we’re coming for you.”
The message quickly became viral, reflecting the confidence in Luis de la Fuente’s squad as Spain moved one step away from lifting their second World Cup trophy.
Yamal Shines on the Biggest Stage
Although he didn’t even get on the scoresheet, Yamal proved once more why he is football’s brightest young talent.
Barcelona’s winger made a crucial contribution to Spain’s opening goal after winning possession well from Lucas Digne and eventually falling down inside the penalty box.
Mikel Oyarzabal calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 22nd minute to give Spain the lead. Yamal even thought he had scored himself shortly after halftime, but his effort was ruled out for a marginal offside.
Historic Night for Spain's Teenagers
The semi-final also provided a very special piece of World Cup history.
Yamal and defender Pau Cubarsí both started for Spain, making it the first time two teenagers have started for the same team in a FIFA World Cup semi-final. Not to suggest they were inexperienced, both youngsters had composed performances against one of the tournament favourites.
Spain Too Strong for France
Spain dominated the game from start to finish. After Oyarzabal’s first goal, Pedro Porro doubled the advantage with a composed finish after an excellent pass from Dani Olmo, leaving France with no chance to come back.
Despite late efforts from Kylian Mbappé and Aurélien Tchouaméni, Spain’s disciplined defence stood firm to register its sixth clean sheet in seven matches at the tournament.
One Step Away From History
The result takes Spain to only the second FIFA World Cup final in the country's history and 16 years after winning the trophy in South Africa in 2010.
La Roja will now travel to New York-New Jersey Stadium and meet the winner of the second semi-final between England and Argentina. For Yamal, however, the focus is already clear.
His message to fans wasn’t about celebrating reaching the final—it was about finishing the job.
With “New York, we’re coming for you,” the teenage sensation sums up Spain’s mindset perfectly. The dream is not over yet and La Roja are at least one victory away from the world title again.
