
Topics: Lamine Yamal, Spain, Portugal, Fan Reactions, UEFA Nations League, Football
Topics: Lamine Yamal, Spain, Portugal, Fan Reactions, UEFA Nations League, Football
Spain star Lamine Yamal has been criticised on social media after fans spotted what he did on the back of the UEFA Nations League final.
On Sunday night, the final of the 24/25 Nations League between Spain and Portugal took place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Spain went ahead twice, thanks to goals by Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal, but were pegged back by Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo's strikes.
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After 120 minutes of action, the match had to be decided via a penalty shootout.
Spain captain Alvaro Morata missed a crucial spot kick as Portugal came away 5-4 winners, clinching their second Nations League trophy.
During the trophy celebrations, fans accused Yamal of refusing to clap for the Portugal players as footage went viral on social media.
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The 17-year-old was seen walking away from the rest of his teammates and taking his runner-up medal off before heading down the tunnel.
Yamal was swiftly followed by Chelsea full-back Marc Cucurella.
Reacting on social media, one fan said: "LAMINE YAMAL REFUSES TO CLAP FOR THE PORTUGAL TEAM AND WALKS AWAY."
Another tweeted: "He should be fined for the disrespect ... not just walking away, but also taking the medal off right after."
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A third fan added: "He has a lot to learn…"
However, a few fans were quick to defend the youngster, stating other Spanish players were also not clapping.
Someone else wrote: "He is not the only one that refused to clap."
A fifth commented: "He's just 17. Forgive him."
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Another fan said: "I wouldn’t clap either if I lost?? Sportsmanship is a feel good award."
It has to be said that Yamal could have been clapping alongisde his teammates prior to being filmed walking away and towards the tunnel.
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The teenager had an off night as he struggled to get the better of Portugal left-back Mendes and was replaced by Yeremy Pino during extra time.
Explaining his decision to take the Barcelona star off, Spain boss Luis de la Fuente said: "We wanted to give the game a bit more energy.
"The introduction of Yeremy Pino and Alex Baena gave us that energy, that control of the game that we had lost, as well as our finishing and shooting."
He continued: "He is tired because he has been competing since Thursday, there has been little rest. He has had a very difficult year.
"He is 17 years old and we have to behave accordingly. Today, we understood that it was time to replace him to give another player the opportunity to come in, so that he brings a little more energy."