Statistics teach everything but the most important thing. The phrase is by Juanma Lillo. The statistics will say that Lamine Yamal played 80 minutes in Porto-Barcelona. Although it is not entirely true. The young winger from the quarry was on the pitch for 72 minutes. Then he evaporated. He headed towards the locker room and did not return.
In the 80th minute, seeing that there were no signs of his promise, the coaching staff decided that they could not wait any longer, that they could not play any longer with one less player - it almost cost them a penalty from Cancelo that the VAR left void due to some hands. Eustáquio's previous ones – and replaced him with Marcos Alonso. Hence the numbers say one thing and the reality was different.
Barcelona ended up without Lewandowski and João Félix, two of its stars. Romeu, signed to fill Busquets' void, was relieved. And Gavi was sent off in added time. Pedri, De Jong and Raphinha, all injured, no longer traveled to Portugal. This gives an idea of the team of circumstances with which Xavi had to face the last minutes.
Lamine Yamal could not finish either, as he evaporated on a night in which he made history by becoming the youngest player to start in the Champions League. At 16 years and 83 days old he surpassed Babayaro on the stage where Leo Messi made his debut in a friendly – the inauguration of Do Dragão – 20 years ago.
Nerves took over the Barcelona bench to know if they could continue counting on him or not. The delegate, Carlos Naval, went to look for him. Sergio Alegre, third coach, made trips to the tunnel to see if he would appear. But there was no time.
Life is capricious. Lamine felt the physiological call at the worst time and place: a Champions League match. Accustomed to escaping from defenders - three of five successful dribbles against the Portuguese - a gastrointestinal illness kept him from the final stretch.
“He felt bad, he felt unwell. He had been telling me for a while that he had pain in his belly,” Xavi revealed. “We took advantage of a break so that he could quickly go to the locker room and return, but later they told me that he was no longer returning,” said the coach.
The youth player, who has played in all ten games, has not yet scored, but Barça has a microwave up front like Ferran Torres. Three of his four goals have come from the bench. In Porto he only needed 11 minutes to see the goal.
