Lamine Yamal almost single-handedly decides the top match against Villarreal with a hat trick, including a dream goal, and thus reaches a historic milestone. In addition to Hansi Flick, Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia Toral is also full of praise for the 18-year-old.
Ahead of the clash with Villarreal, who were third in the table at the time, Hansi Flick’s team were under considerable pressure. After all, FC Barcelona had to win in the tight battle for the top of the table, as any loss of points would have allowed their unloved rivals from Madrid to climb to the top of the table on Monday against Getafe. In the opening minutes, the Blaugrana struggled accordingly, barely creating any chances in the final third. So, as so often, they needed the services of the ever-important Lamine Yamal, who put his team on the road to victory with a cool low shot (28′) and then a dream goal (38′). Even after the visitors pulled one back out of nowhere through Pape Gueye (49′), it was Lamine Yamal who once again made sure of the result (70′).
Unsurprisingly, Hansi Flick was full of praise for the hat-trick hero after the game. “When Lamine plays at this level, it’s fantastic for us,” said the former national coach after the 4-1 (2-0) win. Flick said after his 100th game as Barca coach that it had recently been apparent that the youngster “lacked the confidence and dynamism for these one-on-one situations.” “But when he enjoys playing soccer, it’s perfect for him and for us too.”
Lamine Yamal himself admitted that he had “not been feeling good” in recent weeks. “On top of that, there was the groin problem. I wasn’t enjoying playing, and I think people could see that,” said the right winger. “I’ve been feeling much better for about a week now,” explained the Spanish international, underlining this impressively on the field. “It was this desire to smile while playing, which I hadn’t felt for a long time, and now I’m happy. I enjoy playing and I’m really satisfied.”
Lamine Yamal’s historic hat trick
With his three goals, the young Spaniard made history. With his goals on Saturday, the Spanish European champion became the youngest player in this millennium to score a hat trick in La Liga at the age of 18 years and 230 days. “I think I’ve improved over time. People expect me to score 100 goals, and I’d like to do that, but it’s very difficult.” He wants to improve “bit by bit” and is “very happy when I can help the team with one or two goals.”
Even the opponents were full of praise. “It’s hard to stop such a brilliant player,” said Villareal coach Marcelino García Toral, paying tribute to Barca’s superstar, but noting that Lamine Yamal’s third goal was the result of very poor defending. “We gave him a highway, and when you give Lamine a highway, it’s normal for him to score against you.”