Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca: 16-year-old Lamine Yamal fires hosts to victory to move them to within five...

"Barcelona's 16-Year-Old Yamal Nets Winner To Close In On Real Madrid Atop La Liga"

Post Date: March 8, 2024 at 10:36 PM GMT | Revised: March 8, 2024 at 11:59 PM GMT

Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal once again came to their rescue by scoring the winning goal which helped them defeat Mallorca 1-0 at Montjuic.

At the 74th minute, the teenager moved towards the goal from the left side. He exchanged passes with Robert Lewandowski before bending the ball into the net, past Predrag Rajkovic.

Xavi was prohibited from being on the touchline for one game, so he watched Napoli's match against Torino on the TV from a lofty view behind some glass. Meanwhile, Barcelona had a game too.

On Tuesday night, Barcelona must defeat Napoli to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. However, it won't be an easy task as they are struggling with the absence of key players such as Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. Additionally, Raphinha sustained an injury and had to be substituted in the first half of the game.

Barcelona had an opportunity to score when Raphinha was awarded a penalty for getting his ankle clipped by Jose Manuel Copete. However, instead of Robert Lewandowski who usually takes penalties, Ilkay Gundogan took the shot but unfortunately missed and Predrag Rajkovic made a good save.

Barcelona emerged victorious against Mallorca, with Lamine Yamal scoring the winning goal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

This season, the team's 16-year-old player has successfully scored four goals in the league and also managed to provide six assists.

As his team closed in to within just five points of Real Madrid, Xavi observed from the spectator seats.

There weren't many other opportunities for Mallorca to score due to their five-man defence stopping Barça from attacking too much. Joao Felix almost made a goal, but missed it by a little bit. Although, Mallorca did have some chances to score thanks to Manuel Morlanes and Cyle Larin. A few of the home supporters expressed their displeasure by whistling.

Raphinha never completely healed from the blow to his ankle that resulted in a penalty, and he was substituted by Fermin Lopez after 37 minutes.

Joao Felix attempted to score a goal by shooting towards the nearby post at the onset of the second half. Sadly, there wasn't much improvement throughout the latter part of the match and the sound of negative reaction from the crowd persisted. Only a total of 38,225 individuals were present during the game, which is considered as one of the lowest attendance figures for the season.

Xavi managed to avoid the taunts as he was seated in the stands. When Lamine Yamal made a curling shot that hit the bar just before the hour mark, Xavi stood up. This prompted the substitution of 18-year-old Marc Guiu for 35-year-old Lewandowski. Additionally, Vitor Roque replaced Joao Felix.

Roque brought a lot of energy and excitement to the audience. However, it was Yamal's excellent performance in the end that secured the win. The victory brings Barcelona within five points of Real Madrid, who have a game on Sunday.

However, the focus of Xavi's booth shifted towards the upcoming match on Tuesday against Napoli, with the score currently tied at 1-1 from the previous match. This is now the most important concern.