Yamal aims to steal Mbappe's World Cup thunder in semi-final showdown

Lamine Yamal is aiming to steal Kylian Mbappé’s World Cup momentum in Spain’s Tuesday semi-final against France, despite being at the start of his first tournament. The article notes that Mbappé became only the second teenager to score in a World Cup final at 19 years and 207 days in 2018, while Yamal is turning 19 on the eve of the semi-final in Arlington. Yamal’s breakthrough is tied to Euro 2024, when he scored a stunning goal versus Mbappé’s France to give Spain a 2-1 win four days before his 17th birthday; he was then named young player of the tournament. After missing the end of Barcelona’s season with a hamstring injury, he started every match for Spain so far, scoring once after coming off the bench in a 0-0 opener. Mbappé, now 27, has eight World Cup goals and is level with Lionel Messi for the golden boot race, one behind Messi’s all-time World Cup tally of 21.