Problems for Barça: Lamine Yamal twisted his ankle and did he play injured?

Lamine Yamal gave a scare in the defeat of FC Barcelona against Leganés (0-1). In the 18th minute, a harsh tackle from central defender Yvan Neyou raised fears for the young player. The winger fell to the ground, holding his right ankle while asking for medical assistance. Although the player from Mataró asked to be substituted, he eventually gave the 'ok' to the bench to continue playing.

Yamal had already been out for a couple of weeks this season due to an injury in the same area, but the coaching staff ruled out his substitution, trusting in the painkillers provided by the Barça doctors. The most striking aspect of the incident was that the referee Quintero González did not sanction the foul by the Cameroonian defender, despite being practically in front of the play.

The '19' struggled for several minutes to put weight on his right foot, but remained very active in attack and created a clear opportunity in the 48th minute, with a back pass wasted by Dani Olmo. Just before halftime, he again entered the opponent's area dangerously after a good through ball from Raphinha, where the quick exit of Dmitrovic prevented him from finishing well.

The Barça coaching staff took a risk with Lamine in the second half

Despite the doubts about the winger's physical condition, Marcus Sorg kept him on the field after halftime, although Ferran Torres had started warming up towards the end of the first half. In total, Lamine completed 35 of 43 passes (81%), with 5 successful dribbles and one shot on goal. Additionally, he won 5 of 7 individual duels and recovered 4 balls.

Although it was not his best night, the one from Rocafonda was the most applauded by the culé fans after leaving the field, with a standing ovation to reward his effort in continuing to play touched. After the game, Marcus Sorg, who replaced the suspended Hansi Flick as Barça's second coach, referred to the physical condition of the '19'. "Lamine decided that he was fine and that he could continue playing. I can't say that he is fine, we will have to wait for the medical team's examination," said the German coach.

Luckily for Barça, there will be five days of rest before the next match, a true final against Atlético de Madrid (Saturday in Montjuïc) where the culés are obliged to win to say goodbye to 2024 as leaders of LaLiga. On Monday, Lamine will undergo various tests to find out whether or not he can play against the 'colchoneros'.