Mikel Merino’s amazing moment arrived once more, an entire country circling the corner flag with him as football, which somehow always finds a way, provided another absurdly tall tale. The man who came on to score the late, late goals that took Spain into a European championship semi-final two years ago and a World Cup quarter-final four days ago, only went and did it again. And this time it was even better, his two-month old son Marco, who he has hardly seen, in attendance here. “As he wasn’t there for the quarter-finals, I had to do it in the semi-final too so he could experience it as well,” Merino said.
It is some experience, some hat-trick, some story. What Merino did doesn’t make any sense. For this to happen once is dramatic enough, for it to happen twice messes with your mind, for it to happen a third blows it to bits; what is this sorcery? It was 1-1, the seconds were slipping from them and Spain were desperately seeking a way through when he was introduced as a sub again.