Lamine Yamal shared an emotional message for fans following Barcelona’s exit from the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (May 6). The Catalan club fell to a 4-3 defeat in the second leg of the semi-final at San Siro, which culminated in a 7-6 aggregate loss across two legs.
Ahead of the match, Inter Milan were worried about how to stop Yamal after the 17-year-old proved unplayable in the first leg. In what came as a surprise, the Nerazzurri were 2-0 up before the break, thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez (21’) and Hakan Calhanoglu (45+1).
However, Barca rallied in response after the restart, and they were back on level terms exactly on the hour mark. Eric Garcia restored parity in the 56th minute, while Dani Olmo restored parity in the 60th minute.
Raphinha seemed to have booked Barcelona’s spot in Munich after he scored three minutes from time, only for Francesco Acerbi to score in stoppage time to send the game into extra time. Davide Frattesi delivered the sucker punch in the 99th minute to send Inter into the final.
After the match, Lamine Yamal took to his Instagram and made a vow to fans to keep fighting and get Barcelona back to ”where it deserves”. He wrote:
Despite the loss, Yamal was once impressive on the night. He completed 14 take-ons out of 20 and was Barcelona’s highest-rated player with a score of 8.7, as per Sofascore.
Hansi expressed disappointment after his side’s elimination from the Champions League. Just like in the first leg, Barca dominated proceedings for a huge chunk of the game but in the end, had nothing to show for it.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Flick praised his team’s performance and added that they will ensure they return to Europe’s premier football club competition next season. He told the media (via the club’s website):
Barcelona will now turn their focus to LaLiga. They will next be in action against Real Madrid for the final El Clasico of this season on Sunday (May 11).
An ardent Chelsea fan, Ezekiel’s journey as a football fan began in his childhood, witnessing Ronaldinho dazzle with his skills. His interest in the beautiful game deepened after Nigeria were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he was impressed with the Super Eagles’ fighting spirit in their 2-2 Group B draw against South Korea. Some other World Cup matches which have left a deep impact on him were Belgium’s incredible comeback against Japan in the round of 16 of the 2018 version and the 2022 final.
Lionel Messi is the one true GOAT for Ezekiel and he also follows the Major League Soccer and the Saudi Pro League owing to him and Cristiano Ronaldo. When not writing, he spends his free time deepening his SEO knowledge and watching skits.
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