Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was in scintillating form as Barcelona and Inter Milan played out to an entertaining 3-3 draw in the first leg of their UCL semifinal on Wednesday night.
Tale of the game
The Serie A side whose recent slump in form had been the topic of discussion before the game, started off brightly with Frenchman Marcus Thuram scoring with a brilliant flick seconds into the match.
The Nerazzurri doubled their advantage in the 21st minute when Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries scored with an audacious bicycle kick to send shock waves around the Olympic stadium.
Spanish superstar Lamine Yamal, on his 100th appearance for the club, scored a stunning goal to pull one back for the Catalan giants before Ferran Torres leveled things after good buildup play by Pedri and Raphinha.
Dumfries scored his second of the match and Inter’s third from another set-piece, before a bullet strike by Raphinha was put into his own net by Yann Sommer to keep the scores at 3-3.
The Italian giants thought they had scored the winner through Mkhitaryan’s shot which was however ruled out by VAR, before Yamal hit the post for the second time moments later.
Yamal makes history
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to make 100 appearances for Barcelona at the age of 17 years and 291 days, breaking the previous mark set by Gavi (19 years and 29 days), marking the feat with a superb goal while he also hit the woodwork twice in a dazzling performance.
At 17 years and 291 days, Lamine Yamal is the youngest player to score in a Champions League semi-final, surpassing Kylian Mbappé in 2017 (18 years and 140 days).
The Spain winger also became only the second under-18 player in Champions League history to start a semi-final after Julian Draxler (17 years, 226 days) for Schalke 04 at Old Trafford in May 2011.
What to expect in the second leg?
The second leg will take place at the Guiseppe Meazza Arena next Tuesday, and with the scoreline deadlocked, the encounter promises to be a match to watch with the winner going on to face PSG or Arsenal in the final in Munich on the 31st of May.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
