Lamine Yamal was inches away from scoring the goal of his life as Spain laid down their marker for the 2026 World Cup with a 6-0 demolition of Turkey.
The European champions produced a performance for the ages, reducing their well-regarded opponents to a quivering wreck.
Yamal was instrumental to Spain’s success, putting the fear of God into the Turkey defence whenever he got the ball.
The 18-year-old provided two assists, gliding past challenges on his way to goal in a manner that made the referee double-check he wasn’t wearing roller skates.
If we’re being picky – and who better to judge one of the world’s best footballers than us – then Yamal did a pretty astonishing open goal, sking a Pedri cut-back that your nan could’ve scored.
But he had more than compensated for that with an earlier piece of divine inspiration.
With Spain only 1-0 up and Turkey still threatening to make a contest of it, Yamal received the ball on the right flank just inside the opposition half.
Morphing into Speedy Gonzalez, the Barcelona star sent dust into the first defender’s lungs with the speed he whipped past him.
The second opponent looked favourite to intercept the ball with a sliding challenge, but Yamal leapfrogged him too. Panic had set in.
By now, Yamal had space to bound into like a border collie in the local park. Unlike an adorable canine, he had the wherewithal to manufacture further opportunity for himself.
Cutting inside and escorting himself into the Turkey penalty area, Yamal jinked past his third vanquished opponent before skipping past the challenge of two more.
Just when Diego Maradona would’ve been standing to applaud in heaven, the forward’s finish was indicative of used energy and was a regulation catch for Ugurcan Cakir.
But just like a rich meal can make you feel stuffed, it shouldn’t detract from the maestry that had come before it.
Lamine Yamal’s dribbles past 4 players from the half-line and almost scores
byU/Oklolzzzzs insoccer
Yamal was substituted 20 minutes from the end without finding the scoresheet. Arsenal’s Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick as European champions Spain maintained their 100% start to qualifying.
Pedri got on the scoresheet twice and Ferran Torres also found the net in a blistering display by Luis de la Fuente’s side in Sunday’s Group E encounter in Konya.
Victory could have been even more convincing but for several saves by Cakir, who was kept busy throughout.
Comparing this to England’s custard-like fluency against Andorra is enough to conclude that the two nations are simply playing a different sport.
Spain are clearly the coming force in international football, packed full of players with enviable technical ability and more directness than their flawed counterparts of a few years ago.
And, in Yamal, Spain have a world-class operator who is still in his teenage years.
Favourites for next summer’s World Cup and hosts of the following tournament in 2030, Yamal is surely on the path to becoming football’s most eminent star.
By Michael Lee
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