Lamine Yamal is already celebrated as a Messi successor in Barcelona. In the semi-finals of the Champions League against Inter Milan, the 17-year-old showed a spectacular game. And his wild ingenuity.
20 minutes before the game kicked off against Inter, Hansi Flick and his people drove a fright into the limbs. Lamine Yamal interrupted the warm -up program, reached the left thigh and went into the cabin. Did the 17-year-old child prodigy of FC Barcelona have to fit? Of all people against the defensive artists from Inter?
The all -clear followed shortly before kick -off when Yamal cheerfully stepped onto the field as always and took his usual line -up on the right wing. “I think that my greatest quality is that I recognize situations in the field earlier than others“Yamal said in the days before the first semi -final game.
100th game for Barcelona – with 17
Self-confident words from the mouth of a 17-year-old. The Spanish international will only be of legal age on July 13th. For the first time he played for Barcelona, he was not even 16. Yamal has achieved maturity that the other years later searched.
What he wanted to remember for once, if his career is over one day, Yamal was still asked at the press conference on Tuesday. He wanted as “Good players are remembered“, Yamal replied, and added: “As one who was respectful and respected.” Words of a 17-year-old.
0: 2 – Then Yamal ignites the turbo
He demonstrated against the Italian champion that Yamal not only carries the stuff to the football philosopher, but above all as a sensational player. Nothing was with injury. When Barca was 0: 2 back early and it became suspicious in the old Olympic Stadium on the Montjuic mountain, Yamal ignited his very personal turbo.
After 26 minutes he initially left his watchdog Federico Dimarco on the left, then wiggled Henrik Mkhitaryan in a confined space and swilved the ball from 15 meters on the left inner post – it was only 1: 2.
“He always comes over to the first opponent”
And the stadium was back. And cooked almost when Yamal let the unfortunate dimarco get out again just 60 seconds later and put the ball onto the crossbar from an acute angle – Inters keeper Yann Sommer somehow got the fingertips on the ball.
“He always comes over to the first opponent”teammate Pedri recently said about his younger team -mate Yamal. “What happens then you never know exactly”so Pedri.
Dimarco annoyed from the field, Inzaghi enthusiastic
It is just that Yamal somehow seem to be open to all doors on the soccer field. When he has overcome the first opponent (which actually always succeeds), he chooses: he goes into the dribbling against the next opponent, shoots himself at goal or uses a teammate profitably. The whole palette. Who also got to know Inter on Wednesday evening.
Opponent Dimarco went off the field after a good 55 minutes and had himself replaced. Until then, Yamal had prepared half a dozen first-class Barca scores and scored a goal himself. Simone Inzaghi, Inters Trainer, was impressed after the game: “We doubled Yamal, but even that wasn’t enough. I haven’t seen any players of such class for eight or nine years.”
Barcelona – shiny at the front, porous at the back
Yamal’s miracles were also absolutely necessary to keep his club in the game at all. Because against the clever inter-players, Barcelona’s big problem revealed itself again and again: with all the shine on the offensive, it is a lot of shortage. Especially with opposing standards. Inter this evening could have scored significantly more than three goals against Barca’s porous defensive.
With Raphinha’s then gate to the 3: 3 equalization, Yamal simply had the ball run past himself as the decisive preparer. And his teammate had free rail. “I see game situations more than others” – We remember.
Second crossbar – the crowning glory remains failed by Yamal
In the 87th minute, Yamal would have crowned his idea of a hair. His lump of 15 meters from a half -left position did not fall into the goal, but clapped the crossbar. So the spectacular game ended without a winner. Whereby: Lamine Yamal could somehow feel like a winner – as well as everyone who was allowed to watch him play that evening.