FOX Sports viewers mercilessly called out play-by-play commentator Darren Fletcher and analyst Owen Hargreaves after the pair repeatedly insisted that Lamine Yamal had yet to find the net at the World Cup.
On Friday, Yamal and Spain booked their place in the World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Belgium, a match in which Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois struggled to hold back tears as he was forced off through injury. Throughout the closely-fought contest, Fletcher and Hargreaves maintained that the 18-year-old sensation had still not scored during this year’s tournament.
Turning to social media, viewers were quick to highlight that Yamal had netted in the 10th minute of Spain’s 4-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia during the Group Stage. “Somebody needs to tell the commentators on FOX that Lamine Yamal has a goal in this World Cup,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “Is the fox commentator dumb or something? He’s said twice that Lamine Yamal is still looking for his first world cup goal.”
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Once Saudi Arabia surrendered possession in their own half, Mikel Oyarzabal burst forward down the left flank after Spain regained the ball, delivering a low cross into the six-yard box. Yamal timed his run to the back post to perfection, sliding in to finish the cross at close range and hand Spain an early 1-0 lead.
In his post-match press conference, Yamal — who became the eighth-youngest player to ever score at a World Cup — reflected on the moment: “It’s very special. I’ve always dreamed of playing at a World Cup, and scoring in my first start is a dream come true. I was watching the last World Cup from school.”
Although Yamal failed to add to his tally during Friday’s fixture, he consistently demonstrated his technical quality and composure, carving out clear-cut chances for his teammates and earning the Superior Player of the Match award.
Shortly after the hour mark, Yamal tested Courtois with a curling long-range effort that was just about tipped away. The winger then threaded an exquisite ball into Mikel Oyarzabal, only for the Belgian goalkeeper to produce another crucial stop.
“We’re very happy to be in the semis again [after the Euros],” Yamal said. “We want to keep going to the final. We were much the better team, but then when we were playing our best, [Belgium] managed to score their goal.”
Despite a stern test awaiting Spain against France, Yamal made clear he harbors no concerns about facing the tournament favorites. “If anyone should be afraid, it should be them – we knocked them out of the Euros,” he said. “Obviously, we are two great teams, among the best in the world. We’ll see what happens, but we have no fear.”
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