MADRID (AP) — Lamine Yamal has made it clear he wasn't happy with criticism from former Netherlands player Rafael van der Vaart.
Yamal helped Spain get past the Dutch in the quarterfinals of the Nations League on Sunday.
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Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal, right, scores his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Pedro Porro, left, congratulates his teammate Lamine Yamal after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
After the penalty shootout, the 17-year-old Yamal lowered his shorts just below the waist, directly addressing Van der Vaart's reported comments as a Dutch television pundit that he was bothered by the Spanish teenager's attitude last week during the 2-2 draw in the first leg in the Netherlands.
Van der Vaart was quoted by Spanish media as saying that Yamal didn't seem motivated, noting he was playing with his shorts lowered and with gestures that showed indifference. He said Yamal was handily defeated in his duel with Dutch left back Jorrel Hato in that first leg.
Yamal's teammate, Nico Williams, also lowered his shorts alongside Yamal after the shootout win in Valencia.
On Instagram, Yamal posted the photo of him and Williams with shorts lowered and a couple of images of Van der Vaart. Beside laughing emojis, he wrote, “Shorts down, one goal, one missed penalty, and into the semifinals.”
The post included images of Yamal playing and celebrating with his Spain teammates.
Yamal scored in extra time of the 3-3 draw, then suffered Spain's lone penalty miss in a shootout won 5-4.
Yamal's Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres was among those commenting on Yamal's Instagram post to support him.
Van der Vaart played for Barcelona rival Real Madrid from 2008-10, and made more than 100 appearances with the Netherlands in the 2000s.
Spain, the defending European champion, is trying to win its second straight Nations League title.
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Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal, right, scores his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Pedro Porro, left, congratulates his teammate Lamine Yamal after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Spain's Lamine Yamal reacts after scoring his side third goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal second leg match between the Netherlands and Spain at Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The death toll from wildfires ravaging southern regions of South Korea rose to 24, officials said Wednesday. The National Fire Agency says 26 other people have sustained varying degrees of injuries.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever were ravaging the country's southern regions, killing 18 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.
Officials also said a helicopter crashed during efforts to contain wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, one of the areas hardest-hit by the wildfires. The Korea Forest Service said rescue efforts were underway and it was presumed that the aircraft was operated by one pilot with no crew members.
An ancient Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles were among the structures destroyed in the wildfires that have burned 43,330 acres and injured 19 people, the government’s emergency response center said.
In a televised address, South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said the wildfires that began last Friday were causing worse damage than many other past wildfires.
“Damages are snowballing,” Han said. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week.”
Han said crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. Han said about 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday to extinguish the wildfires with the help of about 130 helicopters. He said that “a small amount” of 5-10 millimeters of rain was expected Thursday.
Observers say the ongoing wildfires are the third biggest in South Korea in terms of land burned.
Officials in several southeastern cities and towns had ordered residents to evacuate Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fueled by dry winds. The largest fires were in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, according to South Korea's Interior Ministry.
Earlier on Tuesday, officials had said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed the blazes to spread again. But efforts to fight the fires were partially suspended overnight as the winds strengthened.
The blaze in Uiseong destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at Gounsa, a temple which was said to be originally built in the 7th century. Among the destroyed structures were two state-designated “treasures" — a pavilion-shaped structure built on a stream built in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.
The temple’s another state-designated “treasure,” a stone Buddha statue reportedly manufactured in the 8th century, was evacuated to a safe place, according to government and Buddhist officials.
The Justice Ministry said it protectively removed 500 inmates from a detention center in Cheongsong, another southern town, but no damages were reported to the facility.
The Korea Forest Service said it had raised its wildfire warning to the highest “serious” level nationwide Tuesday, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.
The 18 dead include four firefighters and government workers who were killed in Sancheong on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds, according to officials.
Government officials suspect human error caused several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongdeok, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongdeok, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
A person walks past houses destroyed by wildfires at a village in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Firefighters inspect the wreckage of a crashed firefighting helicopter at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)
The wreckage of a crashed firefighting helicopter is seen at a mountain in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Son Hyung-joo/Yonhap via AP)
South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo, center, speaks during a press conference at the Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Hong Hae-in/Yonhap via AP)
A bell is seen broken at the remains of the bell pavilion at Goun Temple in Uiseong, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
Burnt-out houses are seen at a damaged village due to wildfires in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Escaped villagers from wildfires take rest at a shelter in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
A man walks near a burnt-out house in a damaged village in Yeongyang, South Korea, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Yun Kwan-shik/Yonhap via AP)
Houses burn in a village after being engulfed by a wildfire fueled by strong winds in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A road is closed as a wildfire fueled by strong winds spreads in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A Korea Forest Service helicopter dumps fire retardant on a wildfire in Sancheong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Kim Dong-min/Yonhap via AP)
A firefighter works to extinguish a fire at a house that has been engulfed in a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
Houses burn in a village after being engulfed by a wildfire fueled by strong winds in Uiseong, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
A Korea Forest Service helicopter dumps fire retardant on a wildfire in Uiseong, South Korea, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Yoon Gwan-shick/Yonhap via AP)
