According to coach Hansi Flick, Lamine Yamal’s frustration at the conclusion of Barcelona‘s crucial 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday was a reflection of the intensity of the match.
Yamal chose not to celebrate Robert Lewandowski‘s late goal, which propelled the league leaders Barça to a seven-point lead over Real Madrid following their earlier loss to Mallorca. He was visibly upset at the final whistle.
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Flick acknowledged Yamal’s frustration during the post-match press conference, stating, “He was a bit angry. He gave his all, trying to score and set up goals. This is completely normal.”
“Of course he was emotional. It was a stressful game, but he’s in the locker room now and everything is fine,” Flick continued.
While Flick’s comments were somewhat general, he assured that Yamal’s frustration did not stem from his performance and expressed confidence that the young player would be in a “better mood” when the teams meet again on Wednesday at Spotify Camp Nou for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal.
“His anger was not related to how he played; he played well,” Flick remarked. “He put in a lot of effort but right now he is just facing a bit of bad luck in front of goal. That will turn around.”
“I can’t say exactly what his frustration was about, but the game was highly emotional, and Lamine was determined to score a second goal,” Flick explained.
“We have three days to prepare for the next match, which is extremely important in the Champions League, and I’m confident he will be in a better frame of mind after today’s game.”
Since scoring a hat trick against Villarreal in February, Yamal has only found the net three times in his last nine appearances for club and country, with two of those goals coming from penalties and just one from open play.
Nonetheless, he played a significant role in Barça’s victory over Atlético, bringing them closer to securing a second consecutive LaLiga title under Flick.
Following Marcus Rashford‘s equalizer to Giuliano Simeone‘s opener at the Metropolitano, the match turned just before halftime when Nicolás González was shown a red card for taking down Yamal. Shortly thereafter, a red card for Barça’s Gerard Martín was overturned.
Despite defending valiantly with ten men, Atlético was ultimately denied a point when Lewandowski scored in the 87th minute after Juan Musso had saved from João Cancelo.
This win propels Barça seven points ahead of Madrid with only eight matches remaining, including the Clásico at Camp Nou on May 10, while Atlético sits in fourth, 12 points clear of fifth place.
“Everyone understands the significance of today’s points; this match day was crucial for us,” Flick said, acknowledging the extended lead over Madrid. “However, we know that [LaLiga] is far from over. We are pleased, but we didn’t celebrate.”
Barcelona will host Atlético again for the second of their three encounters on Wednesday, wrapping up the trilogy the following Tuesday back at the Metropolitano for the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.