Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal sends 14-word message on Instagram after suffering defeat to Monaco in Champions League
Barcelona star Lamine Yamal shared an encouraging message for fans after the club's 2-1 defeat to Monaco in their UEFA Champions League opener on Thursday, September 19. Despite the loss, the 17-year-old displayed an impressive performance and scored his first Champions League goal.
The Catalan side suffered a blow after defender Eric Garcia was sent off via a red card within 10 minutes of kick-off. In the 16th minute, they were down 1-0 after Maghnes Akliouche scored the opening goal of the night.
However, Lamine Yamal equalized in the 28th minute as he received the ball at the edge of the penalty box, before depositing it in Monaco's net. Barcelona went down 2-1 in the 71st minute, as George Ilenikhena capitalized on Vanderson's second assist of the night for Monaco.
After the disappointing start, Lamine Yamal took to Instagram to share a message for Culers, writing (translated from Spanish via Instagram):
"Not the start we wanted, but this is just getting started. To be continued! @fcbarcelona ❤️💙"
Barcelona's 2-1 loss to Monaco marked their first loss under coach Hansi Flick, who maintained a five-out-of-five winning streak in La Liga so far. Lamine Yamal has been in sensational form under Flick, recording four goals and four assists in six appearances across all competitions.
La Blaugrana will return to the league to face Villarreal at El Madrigal on Sunday, September 22.
"It was a difficult match" - Barcelona boss Hansi Flick praised Lamine Yamal for his performance against Monaco
In the post-match press conference, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick praised the performance of La Masia youngsters, specifically mentioning Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. He said (via Barca Universal):
“Lamine tried hard. It was a difficult match and you have to adapt to these situations. The substitution of Lamine and Cubarsi was more thinking about Sunday. They were very tired.”
Flick also cleared doubts about Marc Casado's injury and appreciated Yamal and Raphinha for doing their bit.
"Casado is fine and has only received a knock. The players who have given more than we thought. Casado has done it, like Raphinha and Lamine. I am very proud of this team and we have to accept this defeat,” the coach said.
Meanwhile, Monaco coach Adolf Hutter was also appreciative of Yamal during the post-match press conference, describing him as "extraordinary." He said:
"Beating Barça, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, makes us happy and proud. We played with great courage, we created many chances. We conceded very few chances and his goal came out of nowhere, just from Lamine Yamal, who is an extraordinary player."
Yamal has quickly become indispensable for Barcelona this season. The club will hope his terrific form can help them turn around in the Champions League after a disappointing start.