Lamine Yamal: Erling Haaland Lauds Barcelona Star After Superb Champions League Display
- Lamine Yamal was incredible in Barcelona's Champions League clash against Inter Milan on Wednesday, April 30
- The Spanish wonderkid was at the centre of Barcelona's attack and helped them come back twice to draw 3-3 at home
- Manchester City striker Erling Haaland joined fans, analysts and players in praising the winger
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Lamine Yamal produced an incredible performance in Barcelona's epic 3-3 draw with Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. He received plaudits from fans, pundits and players like Erling Haaland.
Source: Getty Images
How Inter Milan vs Barcelona unfolded
Lamine Yamal has been stealing the show since he made his debut in April 2023. On Wednesday, he tormented Inter Milan defenders, helping his side come from 2-0 down early in the game.
Marcus Thuram gave the visitors the lead after just 30 seconds before Denzel Dumfries doubled Inter's lead 20 minutes later.
It was a poor start for Barcelona, who had a mountain to climb at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, but Yamal transformed the game.
He got past several defenders before pulling one back with a beautiful curler into the far corner. He was at the centre of almost all of Barcelona's attack.
It was also his 100th appearance for the club, and he now has 22 goals and 33 assists. Ferran Torres made it 2-2 in the 38th minute after Raphinha headed down Pedri's long ball.
Dumfries restored the visitors' lead in the 63rd minute, but Barcelona responded two minutes later after Raphinha's powerful strike hit the back of Yann Sommer's back before going in.
Barcelona now need to avoid defeat in the second leg to have a chance of advancing to the Champions League final.
Source: Getty Images
Haaland praises Lamine Yamal
Yamal received rave reviews during and after the game. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland was watching the game and was impressed.
Haaland shared a photo of Yamal from the game and wrote "this guy is incredible."
Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi showered the Spanish youngster with praise after the game.
“Yamal really impressed me. He’s a once-in-50-years phenomenon,” Inzaghi said via BeIn Sports. “We had to put three players on him and keep an eye on him for the full 90 minutes.”
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick echoed Inzahghi's comments.
“He is special. I’ve said before he is a genius. During the game, when I looked at the match from the outside, you see all the details and it is unbelievable how he does it."
Yamal made his Barcelona debut in April 2023 and has 15 goals and 24 assists this season in 49 appearances. He won the Euros with Spain last year. Mulama told TUKO.co.ke Yamal has a chance to become the best player in the world soon.
"From what I have seen from previous matches, he has great potential. He is scoring some important goals, and contributing as well. He is not the best for now but he is getting there. Maybe in 2 years. Consistency is key."
Comparing Lionel Messi to Lamine Yamal after 100 games
Lionel Messi leads in trophies, having already won four titles after his first 100 games for Barcelona, including La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
Yamal, on the other hand, has won three trophies so far, with the most recent being the Copa del Rey.
However, he still has a strong chance to add the La Liga title, as Barcelona currently tops the league standings.
Overall, Yamal has a long way to go as Messi has eight Ballon d'Ors to his name, a World Cup among many other trophies, but at 17 years, he has already shown maturity beyond his years.
"He showed us the way because making it 2-1 was really important. He's a fantastic player, and you see his quality in big games. It's great to have him here. They gave everything, and we can be proud. We played well and kept our style and picked ourselves up after conceding twice," added Flick on Yamal and the whole team.
Did Lionel Messi say his kids love watching Yamal?
TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that Lionel Messi listed five players his three sons love watching.
The Inter Miami superstar name-dropped Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Robert Lewandowski, Yamal and Haaland.
Yamal has been tipped to win the Ballon d'Or in future, and some have gone ahead to label him as the best in the world.
Martin Moses, the head of department for sports, contributed to this article by adding details about Messi's and Yamal's statistics after 100 games.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
