Lamine Yamal described his dribble that led to Anthony Gordon’s goal against Galatasaray as an “almost-rabona” as Barcelona ran out 4-1 winners in the Champions League game in Istanbul.
Yamal, 19, did not score in the victory but produced a stunning second-half display. He set up Fermín López with a pinpoint cross before creating the chance for Gordon.
The teenager shaped to play a rabona, which tricked the defender, and instead knocked the ball towards the byline. A small ricochet helped him, but he reacted quickly to drive inside before assisting the England international.
“I don’t know what to call it, it was an almost-rabona dribble,” Yamal told Movistar after the game as he watched a replay of the goal.
“It came off well to set up Gordon, that’s the main thing, that it was effective at the end of the day.”
Looking for space
In a separate interview with CBS, Yamal told former Barça forward Thierry Henry that he is always looking for new ways to create space.
“Recently, I have noticed that a lot of opponents, whenever I reach the byline, go to ground, so I saw the opportunity, went for it and it came off,” he said.
“I always try to faint to create space. If you can create a bit of space that way, it gives us [attackers] life. It was nice, but also effective, so I am very happy.”
In 10 appearances for Barça this season, Yamal has scored eight goals and laid on nine assists.
Flick praises performance
Barça coach Hansi Flick credited Yamal with “changing the game” against Galatasaray, as the Spanish champions recovered from going behind to win convincingly.
“In the second half he was fantastic, how he dominated the game, the last pass … It’s unbelievable what he’s doing,” Flick said in the post-game news conference.
Treble ambitions
The victory in Türkiye was Barça’s 10th in a row at the start of the current campaign, comprising eight in LaLiga and two in the Champions League. During that run, they have scored a remarkable 43 goals, and Yamal says they are laying the foundations for a potentially historic season.
“Always,” he told CBS when asked whether Barça believe a Treble of LaLiga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey is possible this season.
“We’re Barcelona, we’re the best team in the world.”
That claim will be tested over the next week. Barça travel to third-placed Real Betis in LaLiga on Saturday, face Paris Saint-Germain in France in the Champions League next Tuesday, and then host Real Madrid in the first Clásico of the season the following Sunday.