The spotlight predominantly fell on the 17-year-old Yamal, who marked his 100th game for Barcelona with his 22nd goal. He showcased a brilliant performance, particularly in the first half, helping to inspire a remarkable comeback after Inter had initially taken a 2-0 lead within the first 21 minutes.
Yamal not only scored a classy goal in the Champions League semi-final but also had previously scored in the Euro 2024 semi-final last summer. He is already regarded as one of the best players in the world, even before turning 18.
Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi expressed high praise for Yamal, stating;
“Lamine is the kind of talent that comes along every 50 years, and to see him up close really impressed me. He caused us major problems; we were supposed to double up on him and it wasn’t enough.”
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also commended Yamal, saying;
“He’s special; he’s a genius. He shows up in big matches.”
There was some drama before the game when Yamal appeared to hurt his groin and went down the tunnel during warm-ups, leading to speculation that he might not play. Despite this, he started the match but had little impact in the early stages while Inter took a 2-0 lead with two fantastic goals: Marcus Thuram’s backheel flick from a Dumfries cross just 30 seconds into the match, and Dumfries’ flying close-range volley.
Yamal soon came to life, despite being double-marked, beating multiple Inter players before sliding the ball in off the far post with remarkable ease and confidence. Moments later, he evaded more defenders at the byline and unleashed a shot that Inter keeper Yann Sommer tipped onto the bar.
Barcelona drew level once again as Yamal cleverly dummied a pass, allowing Raphinha to fire a shot from 25 yards that hit the bar and went in off the back of Sommer for an own goal.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he had put Inter ahead 4-3, but his goal was ruled out for a marginal offside. Yamal nearly had the final word, delivering one more memorable moment when his cross-shot struck the angle of the post and the bar.
