FC Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal revealed that he was “peeing when I played” against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, and joked that “they didn’t let me do anti-doping control” tests because of that following his MVP masterclass at the Westfalenstadion.
In his best performance yet since recovering from an ankle sprain, and perhaps his single greatest display in Europe thus far in a short yet storied career, Lamine helped his team climb up the UCL league phase ranks to second place, and put itself in line for a huge cash injection, by providing a sensational assist for Ferran Torres to score the winner in a 3-2 thriller.
On a blistering counter attack in the 85th minute, Lamine could have easily waited a second or two on a counter attack to play a diagonal pass to Fermin Lopez who also had a relastic chance to score.
Instead, however, the 17-year-old played a genius pass behind the back line which Ferran connected with and then slotted home to guarantee three points.
“I get on very well, with Ferran. It was also the same the other day against Betis, in Seville,” Lamine said regarding his understanding with ‘The Shark’.
So pleased was Ferran, who netted a brace in North Rhine-Westphalia, that he created an iconic photo with his fellow Euro 2024 winner by mock cleaning Lamine’s boots.
Once more, there was almost a delicious trivela assist for Raphinha with the outside of his foot.
And as promised when it came off last time to more successful goalscoring effect, Lamine vowed to continue playing it.
“That pass comes naturally to me, already,” the left winger reiterated. “It’s a resource that is working very well for me, lately, to be honest. It comes naturally to me, it’s not that I’m doing it constantly in training, it comes out more or less on its own. And I’ve told Rapha that he’s has it [available to him]…”
Lamine will use the trivela “many times, if it is something that helps the team,” in terrifying news for rival defences.
After terrorising Rami Bensebaini the evening long, Lamine was awarded the MVP award – his first in the Champions Legue.
Most important for him, however, his team getting “the victory at a ground important as this” after Saturday’s 2-2 slip up against Real Betis.
“We are very happy, because the team has been very good, in general. We had clear chances, in the second half they dominated us a little more, but we knew how to resist them, and the chances had to be taken advantage of,” Lamine concluded.
With the UCL out of the way for 2024 and set to return in January, attention now turns to Leganes in the league on Sunday.
By the time that showdown in Montjuic comes around, bitter rival Real Madrid could be