Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand hailed Lamine Yamal after Barcelona’s 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League. He said that the youngster is above the level of any other player in Europe.
The Blaugrana hosted Inter in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Wednesday. It was an exhilarating match as it ended in a 3-3 draw. Both sides created more chances but couldn’t capitalize on them.
Lamine Yamal was exceptional on the night. He opened the scoring for Barcelona in the 24th minute and also hit the woodwork twice. He completed 6/11 dribble attempts, made two key passes, won 8/15 ground duels, and attempted six shots (via SofaScore).
After the game, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand heaped praise on the 17-year-old, writing on X (formerly Twitter):
“As a pure football talent I’m going as far as to say I think Lamine Yamal is on another level to any player playing the game in the top 5 leagues in world football. 17 yrs old – Truly unbelievable”
Yamal has scored 15 goals and provided 24 assists in 49 games across competitions for Barcelona this season.
Lamine Yamal shines as Barcelona and Inter Milan play a UCL classic
The game was expected to be a great tactical battle between Hansi Flick and Simone Inzaghi. However, it ended up being a complete goal fest. It started with Marcus Thuram scoring for Inter Milan via an audacious flick in the first minute.
Barcelona then ramped up the pressure, but Denzel Dumfries made it 2-0 through a header from a corner. Lamine Yamal then scored an exceptional solo goal in the 24th minute to make it 2-1. He also hit the crossbar from a narrow angle. Ferran Torres then restored parity in the 38th minute, getting on the end of a well-directed header from Raphinha.
Denzel Dumfries again gave Inter the lead in the 63rd minute with yet another corner. Two minutes later, Raphinha unleashed a brilliant shot from outside the box that hit the crossbars but ricocheted off Yann Sommer into the goal.
Overall, Barcelona made 19 attempts, with nine being on target, while Inter made seven attempts, with three being on target. The hosts also dominated possession with 72%.
The second leg will be played at San Siro on Tuesday, May 6. The winner of the tie will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
alt=”Aditya Singh” height=”72″ width=”72″>
Edited by Aditya Singh
