Lamine Yamal managed to start in Barcelona`s Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter, despite suffering an injury scare just before the match.
During the pre-game warm-up at the Olympic Stadium, Yamal seemed to injure himself after taking a shot, slipping in the process. The 17-year-old left the field early, seen holding his left groin or thigh, raising doubts about his availability with only 15 minutes until kickoff.
Nevertheless, Yamal was in the starting lineup, marking his 100th appearance for Barcelona even before his 18th birthday. He has been a standout winger in Europe this season, and with Robert Lewandowski still unavailable, the pressure is on Yamal and Raphinha, with Ferran Torres playing upfront again. The team is the same one that recently won the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Any doubts about whether the pressure of a first Champions League semifinal would affect Yamal were dispelled during the pre-match press conference before the Inter game. He confidently stated, “Fear while playing the game? I left all my fears in the park of my neighbourhood, back in Mataro, a while ago.”
Yamal is one of several La Masia graduates in the semifinal squad. Speaking about his Champions League aspirations, he said, “We want Barca to win and to be among the best in business. You can see that feeling in our team, it`s a dream for us and it has a lot to do with our performance this season. We remember when the club won the Champions League in 2015 and we don`t only play because that`s our job — we also feel the colours of this football club.”
