Inter Milan Coach Impressed by Lamine Yamal in Champions League Semi-Final

Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi is amazed by Barcelona’s young star Lamine Yamal. After a thrilling 3-3 Champions League semi-final first leg, the coach said his team had to triple-team the 17-year-old during the match.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona and Inter Milan played a thrilling 3-3 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. The match was at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Yamal gave a brilliant performance during his 100th appearance for Barcelona’s main team. The young winger scored a great solo goal, helping Barcelona fight back from a two-goal deficit. Throughout the match, he troubled Inter’s defense. Inzaghi declared, “I haven’t seen a player like Lamine Yamal in the last eight or nine years. We had to put three players on him!”

YAMAL: A RARE TALENT

Inzaghi praised Yamal more during his post-match interview. He said, “Yamal really impressed me. He’s a once-in-50-years phenomenon.” The Italian coach continued, “We had to put three players on him and watch him for the entire match.” Inzaghi admitted it was his first time seeing Yamal play live, and he was amazed. “Yamal is clearly a talent that comes once every 50 years. I’ve never seen such talent before,” he added. Barcelona is currently second in La Liga, with Yamal scoring 12 goals and assisting 14 times in all competitions.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick also praised his young player, calling Yamal “a genius.” Flick said, “He’s special. I’ve said it before, but he’s a genius.” Flick added, “In big matches, he performs well. I think he enjoyed the situation. I’m really happy that this rare talent, if it comes every 50 years like Simone said, is with Barcelona.” Despite the praise, Yamal remained focused. He said, “I am happy to help the team. Now we need to aim for more. We knew we could win the game, but now we are focused on the second leg.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR BOTH TEAMS?

Both teams have a lot to play for as they prepare for the second leg at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan next Tuesday. Inter faces a challenge with captain Lautaro Martínez injured in the first leg. Inzaghi admitted, “We’ll probably have to play without our captain.” Inter leads Serie A by seven points over second-placed AC Milan, with only four games left. Barcelona will depend on Yamal’s brilliance again as they compete for their sixth Champions League title. The Catalan team faces Athletic Bilbao in La Liga this weekend, trailing leaders Real Madrid by six points with five matches to go.