16 going on 17

The GIST: One semi down, one to go — and boy was the first match an absolute thriller. No. 8 Spain are through to their first Euro final appearance since 2012 after yesterday’s 2–1 win over No. 2 France. Here’s how it happened and what to expect in the second semi this afternoon.

Spanish teen scores goal of the tourney: France opened the scoring with an eighth minute header, but sixteen-year-old Spanish forward Lamine Yamal quickly equalized, nailing this long range rocket in the 21st minute to become the youngest goalscorer in Euro history, just four days before his 17th birthday. Feliz cumpleaños, indeed.

• Less than four minutes later, forward Dani Olmo buried his third goal in three games, a golazo that would stand as the game-winner for La Roja.

• France’s loss means captain (and typically prolific scorer) Kylian Mbappé exits the tourney having scored only one goal (a penalty in the group stage) — a masked and muted performance that extends Les Bleus’ 24-year Euro trophy drought.

Next up, a clash of the comeback kids: The semis drama continues today at 3 p.m. ET, when No. 7 Netherlands battles No. 5 England. Both squads take the pitch after come-from-behind quarter-final dubs, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to the powerhouse match.

• England is aiming to make their second straight Euro final and find redemption (especially winger Bukayo Saka) after their heartbreaking 2020 loss to Italy, while the Netherlands, led by forward Cody Gakpo, have defeated the Brits in eight of their last nine matches.

• TL;DR? Expect the unexpected from the first whistle.

The GIST: Much like the Euro, one half of the Copa América final is set after No. 1 Argentina’s 2–0 win over No. 48 Canada last night. Let’s dive into the deets before the second semi kicks off tonight.

Lionel Messi ends Canada’s Cinderella run: Recently struggling Messi found his stride last night, scoring his first goal of the tourney and rising to second on the all-time men’s international goal-scoring list while sending the defending champs to the Copa final for the 30th time.

• As for CanMNT, their Copa debut ended in frustration — they accumulated 14 fouls and four yellow cards amid some questionable refereeing. Outside forces aside, the Canadians were outplayed by the Argentinians, registering only two shots on goal.

• That said, the red and white’s tourney run is still celebration-worthy. Canada went from an early 2022 FIFA men’s World Cup exit to the Copa semis under the leadership of new head coach Jesse Marsch. The future sure looks bright.

Up next — No. 14 Uruguay vs. No. 12 Colombia: Defensive-minded Uruguay meets offensive powerhouse Colombia tonight at 8 p.m. ET. Uruguay has allowed just one goal the entire tourney, while Colombia leads all teams in scoring with 11, including five in the quarter-final alone.

• Two players to watch? Uruguayan defender José Giménez and Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez. Giménez has been the key to Uruguay’s lock down D, while resurgent Rodriguez is reminding fans he’s still Colombia’s best playmaker, notching five assists throughout the tourney.

Women and girls belong on playing fields, but unfortunately over three times as many high school girls drop out of sports compared to their male peers. Thankfully, our pals at TELUS want to change that.

• Enter: TELUS She CAN Coach, Canada Soccer’s coach recruitment, development, and training program designed to address the barriers women and girls face on and off the pitch.

And they’re already encouraging Canada’s next women’s soccer stars to keep kicking it by supporting 236 new coaches and prioritizing gender equity at over 20 clubs across the country. Because TELUS knows that closing the sports gender gap is always a golazo.