Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Young stars emerge and big names underperform. Fans party on the streets of Germany and grumble about controversial VAR decisions.

Ahead of Sunday's final between Spain and England, here's a look at what we've learned from Euro 2024 so far:

Tournament soccer offers a chance for young players to break through. They're not normally this young.

Lamine Yamal has been the star of Euro 2024, especially after his stunning goal against France in the semifinals, which made him the youngest-ever scorer at a men's European Championship. He turned 17 on Saturday, a day before the final against England in Berlin.

German 21-year-olds Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz lit up the tournament for the host nation, and another 21-year-old, Xavi Simons, scored a spectacular goal as the Netherlands lost to England in the semifinals.

There was disappointment for Spain midfielder Pedri, also 21, whose tournament was ended by a rough challenge from Germany's Toni Kroos in the quarterfinals.

This hasn't been a tournament for Europe's biggest names to shine.

Cristiano Ronaldo could have become the European Championship's oldest ever scorer at 39, but finished without any goals from five games amid enduring questions about whether Portugal would be a better team without him on the field. His biggest impact was arguably on tournament security as a string of selfie-seeking fans tried to reach him on the field.

Kylian Mbappé's tournament started with a broken nose against Austria and ended with France's semifinal loss to Spain. His only goal was a penalty against already-eliminated Poland. Mbappé's interventions in French politics were arguably more significant than his deeds on the field.

Harry Kane is in the final but has often seemed off the pace despite scoring three goals, and Kevin de Bruyne couldn't inspire an often-toothless Belgian team.

After a European Championship held under pandemic restrictions and a World Cup in Qatar, Euro 2024 was a chance for European fans to mass in numbers not seen for years.

Colorful fan marches to stadiums — the Dutch march to their semifinal with England was 100,000 strong — lit up the host cities.

It was generally good-natured, with only a few minor clashes involving English, Dutch and Serbian fans, not the large-scale violence of Euro 2016 in France.

Fans endured an overloaded German train network to get between games, though. Even the Dutch team hit train trouble that forced it to arrange a last-minute charter flight to its semifinal game.

It wouldn't be a big soccer event without heated arguments over the video review system.

VAR has strayed far from the original concept unveiled by FIFA in 2016, and a few crucial calls overshadowed key games. Denmark's Joachim Andersen had his goal ruled out for offside by VAR against Germany before VAR helped award a penalty against him shortly after.

Referees and VAR often seemed to take a lenient approach to grappling in the penalty area, but when Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries collided with England's Harry Kane while trying to block a shot, it was a penalty that changed the course of that semifinal game.

"I think that we cannot play properly football and this is due to VAR. It really breaks football,” Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said.

There was no penalty for Germany in the quarterfinals when the ball struck Spain defender Marc Cucurella's hand. German fans jeered Cucurella in Spain's semifinal game with France as a result.

There were no easy opponents at Euro 2024.

Even with several smaller soccer nations playing, no team lost all its games, the first time that happened at a men's European Championship since it was an eight-team event in 1992.

Georgia beat Portugal and briefly led Spain in the round of 16 in a fearless debut campaign. Albania had the lead in two of its three games and scored a quick record-breaking goal. Slovenia didn't lose a game in regular play and was only eliminated by Portugal in a penalty shootout.

AP Sports Writers Steve Douglas in Berlin and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this report.

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024

FILE - Referee Felix Zwayer from Germany checks the VAR for a penalty during a semifinal match between the Netherlands and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

FILE - Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia celebrates after Spain's Robin Le Normand, left, scored an own goal during a round of sixteen match between Spain and Georgia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

FILE -Fans of the team of the Netherlands walk towards the stadium ahead of a semifinal match between the Netherlands and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo prepares to kick a penalty during a round of sixteen match between Portugal and Slovenia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 1, 2024. Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

FILE - Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates a goal that was disallowed for an offside during a round of sixteen match between Spain and Georgia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Cologne, Germany, Sunday, June 30, 2024. Euro 2024 takeaways: Lamine Yamal shines and fans party but the big names struggle. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)

Germany's Jamal Musiala, left, shoots sthe ball against Spain's Marc Cucurella, center, during a quarterfinal match between Germany and Spain at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)

France's Kylian Mbappe walks in dejection after Spain's Dani Olmo scores his side's second goal during a semifinal match between Spain and France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, center, reacts at the end of a quarter final match against France at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Fans of the team of the Netherlands walk towards the stadium ahead of a semifinal match between the Netherlands and England at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Dortmund, Germany, Wednesday, July 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Spain's Lamine Yamal, center, takes part in a training session next to his teammates ahead of Sunday's Euro 2024, final soccer match against England in Donaueschingen, Germany, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.

Forty-six of the drones were over the Kursk region, where Ukraine has sent its forces in recent weeks in the largest incursion on Russian soil since World War II. A further 34 were shot over the Bryansk region, 28 over the Voronezh region, and 14 over the Belgorod region — all of which border Ukraine.

Drones were also shot down deeper into Russia, including one each in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, and the Ivanovo region, northeast of the Russian capital. Russia's Defense Ministry said drones were intercepted over 15 regions, while one other governor said a drone was shot down over his region, too.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that falling debris from one of the two drones shot down over the city caused a fire at an oil refinery.

Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlin’s assault.

Also in Russia, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said nine people were wounded in Ukrainian aerial missile attacks in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Sunday. These included eight in the regional capital, also called Belgorod.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Sunday it had taken control of the towns of Pivnichne and Vyimka, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.

Russian forces have been driving deeper into the partly occupied eastern region, the total capture of which is one of the Kremlin’s primary ambitions. Russia’s army is closing in on Pokrovsk, a critical logistics hub for the Ukrainian defense in the area.

At least three people were killed and nine wounded on Sunday in Russian shelling in the town of Kurakhove, some 20 miles (33 kilometers) south of Pokrovsk, Donetsk regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.

In Ukraine overnight, eight drones were shot down out of 11 launched by Russia, according to the Ukrainian air force.

One person was killed and four wounded in shelling overnight in the Sumy region, local officials said, while Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said five people were wounded in his region. On Sunday, 41 more were wounded when Russia shelled the regional capital, also called Kharkiv, Syniehubov said.

Syniehubov said a shopping center, a sports facility and residential buildings were among those damaged in Sunday's attack.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo released by Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, firefighters extinguish a burning car in the courtyard of an apartment building after a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the city of Belgorod and the Belgorod region of Russia. (Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov Telegram channel via AP)

In this photo released by Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, firefighters extinguish fire after a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the city of Belgorod and the Belgorod region. (Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's Telegram channel via AP)

People cry near the body of a relative who was killed in a Russian strike on the residential neighbourhood in Cherkaska Lozova, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday Aug. 31. 2024. (AP Photo/Yevhen Titov)