"Give him the Ballon d'Or", "He is actually insane" - Barcelona fans hail star as they complete 4-2 comeback win over Atletico Madrid
Barcelona fans online were in awe of Lamine Yamal for his performance in the LaLiga clash with Atletico Madrid on Sunday (March 16). The 17-year-old starred as Barcelona came from behind from two goals down to win 4-2 at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Having seen Real Madrid win over the weekend, Hansi Flick’s side knew they had to leave the Spanish capital with a victory to reclaim their spot on the LaLiga table.
To that end, Barcelona began the game by keeping the hosts pinned back, and they did that for long spells in the first half. However, Los Rojiblancos flipped the narrative as the game progressed. Their shift in focus was rewarded just before halftime.
Antoine Griezmann capitalized on a disorganization in Barcelona’s defense as he sent a low cross into the box to Giuliano Simeone, who found his Argentine compatriot Julian Alvarez to poke home (45’).
Barcelona's woes were compounded as Alexander Sorloth doubled Atletico’s lead in the 70th minute. Conor Gallagher drove a typical Atletico counterattack forward and laid a low pass across goal for Sorloth to tap home.
The visitors rallied in response, and Robert Lewandowski halved the deficit two minutes later. Substitute Ferran Torres restored parity in the 78th minute, heading home a fizzing cross from Raphinha.
When it looked like both sides would settle for a draw, unexpected drama unfolded in the additional minutes of the second half. La Masia graduate Lamine Yamal came up trumps (90+2') as his effort took a deflection and went past Jan Oblak to give his side the lead.
Shortly after, Ferran Torres added a fourth (90+8'), capitalizing on the lack of concentration from Atletico’s defense.
Lamine Yamal stood out for Barca on the night. He had 89 touches, created one big chance, and received a rating of 8.0, as per Sofascore. Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise him after the game.
An X user wrote:
''I’ve seen enough. Give Lamine Yamal the Ballon d'Or.''
Another tweeted:
''Lamine is actually insane.''
''17 Years old. Wow Lamine, I'm out of superlatives 😳😳❤️," @TeanJodibo wrote.
''LAMINE GIVE HIM THE BALLON DOR,'' @FCBKarlll added.
''Lamine Yamal exists and they want me to hail Mohammed Salah as the best right winger in the world lmfao,'' @UtdEIIis added.
''Lamine Yamal the best player in the world,'' @ume5hg asserted.
Lamine Yamal highlights what Barcelona need after 4-2 win over Atletico Madrid
Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal pointed out what his side seemed to lack after their comeback victory over Atletico Madrid. The 17-year-old claimed that the Catalan club lacked ‘intensity.'
Yamal said (via ESPN):
"I think intensity above all is what was missing [before the comeback]. We were waiting to see what happened rather than really going for it."
He added:
"Until they scored two goals, we didn't really step up and get going. That can't happen. It's something we have to improve. It also happened in the Copa del Rey. If we can improve these small details we can be closer to being a perfect team."
Yamal has scored 13 goals and provided 17 assists in 38 games for La Blaugrana this term across competitions.
