Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal is continuing to find new ways to impress the world of soccer after yet another dazzling display in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The 17-year-old provided a brilliant assist and scored a memorable goal to inspire Barça to a 3–1 win over Benfica in the second leg of its last 16 tie – the Spanish giant won 4-1 on aggregate.
It was Yamal again who was the star of the show, with his assist for Barcelona’s first goal demonstrating just how devastating he can be.
The youngster picked the ball up near the half-way line before running directly at the Benfica defense. His lightning-quick footwork then deceived two defenders before he found teammate Raphinha at the back post to give the Blaugrana the lead in the 11th minute.
After the match, Yamal admitted he had tried to shoot before accidentally finding his teammate, but the build-up before the moment was simply sensational.
Nicolás Otamendi’s header then leveled the scores on the night, but Yamal produced another moment of magic to put his side back ahead in the 27th minute.
The winger received the ball near the sideline before cutting inside, beating his defender and sending a masterful curling shot into the far corner.
His own teammates could barely believe what they had witnessed but nothing appeared to faze Yamal who, as a reminder, is still only 17.
“It was a good goal, but sometimes these things come off and sometimes they don’t,” a humble Yamal said after the win.
Yamal also became the youngest player in history to register a goal and an assist in a Champions League match, according to UEFA.
“His goals simply emphasize what he is – a footballer of tremendous quality,” Raphinha, who scored twice on Tuesday, said of Yamal after the match.
Barça, which sits top of La Liga, will now play either Lille or Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals.
PSG stuns Liverpool
Elsewhere in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) celebrated a “perfect evening” to knock Liverpool out of the Champions League in a dramatic penalty shootout.
The French side, trailing 1-0 after the first leg of the last 16 tie, knew it needed to produce something special to get the better of Liverpool at Anfield and that’s exactly what the Parisians did.
Ousmane Dembélé’s early goal leveled the aggregate scoreline before PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was the hero of the eventual shootout, saving penalties from both Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones.
“It’s a magnificent evening for us, for the club, for its history,” PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said after the match. “It was a difficult match to play here at Anfield, but it is a perfect evening.”
PSG, bidding to win its first Champions League title, looked a threat throughout both legs of the encounter and was well worthy of the win. In truth, the French side was unlucky to lose the first leg having dominated much of the match.
For Liverpool, who many considered to be one of the favorites to win this year’s Champions League, it was a humbling experience having had its own way in the English Premier League this season.
Both Jones and Núñez – who has been publicly criticized by his manager Arne Slot in recent weeks – looked devastated on the pitch after losing the shootout.
But Slot tried to see the positives from what was a rollercoaster match, littered with moments of quality from both sides.
“It was the best game of football I was ever involved in,” the Dutch manager said after the defeat. “I don’t have the history like Liverpool as a manager, but it was two teams of an incredible level, at an incredible intensity.
“I hope and think every fan around the world was hoping this game would just keep on going, it wouldn’t stop, because it was incredible.”
PSG will face either Club Brugge or Aston Villa in the quarterfinals.
