Lamine Yamal’s apparent anger at the end of Barcelona’s win over Atletico Madrid stemmed from his inability to score a goal during the crucial La Liga fixture and was not linked to any off-field incidents, says the Catalan club’s manager, Hansi Flick. The Spanish forward was visibly unhappy in the closing moments of the closely fought match in Madrid and did not celebrate with teammates when Robert Lewandowski scored the winner in the 87th minute. “He was a little bit angry,” La Liga leaders’ head coach, Flick, told reporters after the match.
The 18-year-old hit the post with a dinked effort after Fermin Lopez laid the ball off to him during the first half in a tense battle on the pitch.
A few minutes earlier, Yamal displayed great control, skill and vision to receive a ball in his own half, nutmeg an Atletico player and provide an open pass for Lopez in front of goal, but the 22-year-old failed to convert it into a goal.
“He [Yamal] gave it his all but was unlucky when it came to scoring or providing the final pass,” the German coach said. “In the end, everything is fine. “Of course, he has emotion. This was the game, with emotion, but he’s in the dressing room, and everything is good.” Lewandowski’s dramatic late winner was celebrated by the Barcelona players on the pitch and bench, but Yamal looked subdued as he trudged on the pitch by himself. Once the referee blew the full-time whistle, Yamal walked past Flick, who tried to placate his star player, and the two exchanged a few words before the forward headed back towards the dressing room. Flick said Yamal’s reaction, or lack of it, was not “because of how he played, he played good”, and elaborated on his star player’s exasperation. “At the moment, he does not have this fortune that he scores the goals, but it can come back.” Yamal has been at the centre of an Islamophobia controversy in Spanish football after he slammed anti-Muslim chants during his national team’s friendly match against Egypt in Barcelona on Tuesday.