“We’ll be back, have no doubt” - Barcelona ace Lamine Yamal sends motivational message after heart-crushing UCL defeat against Inter Milan
Lamine Yamal shared an emotional message for fans following Barcelona’s exit from the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday (May 6). The Catalan club fell to a 4-3 defeat in the second leg of the semi-final at San Siro, which culminated in a 7-6 aggregate loss across two legs.
Ahead of the match, Inter Milan were worried about how to stop Yamal, as the 17-year-old proved unplayable in the first leg. In what came as a surprise, the Nerazzurri were 2-0 up before the break, thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez (21’) and Hakan Calhanoglu (45+1).
However, Barca responded strongly after the restart, and they were back on level terms at the hour mark. Eric Garcia scored in the 54th minute, while Dani Olmo restored parity in the 60th minute.
Raphinha seemed to have booked Barcelona’s spot in Munich after he scored three minutes from time, only for Francesco Acerbi to score in stoppage time (90+3') to send the game into extra time. Davide Frattesi delivered the sucker punch in the 99th minute to send Inter into the final.
After the match, Lamine Yamal vowed to fans to keep fighting and get Barcelona back to "where it deserves." He wrote on Instagram:
''We have given everything, this year it could not be but we will be back, have no doubt “CULERS” we will not stop until we leave this club where it deserves, at the top. I will keep my promise and I will bring it to Barcelona, we will not stop until we get it. But Sunday is another final and we all have to be together. Long live Barça! 💙❤️’’
Despite the loss, Yamal was impressive on the night. He completed 14 take-ons out of 20 and was Barcelona’s highest-rated player with a score of 8.7, as per Sofascore.
Hansi Flick says Barcelona "will be back" after Champions League elimination
Barca manager Hansi Flick expressed disappointment after his side’s elimination from the Champions League. Just like in the first leg (3-3), Barca dominated proceedings for a huge chunk of the game, but in the end, had nothing to show for it.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Flick praised his team’s performance, adding that they will ensure they return to Europe’s premier football club competition next season. He told the media (via the club’s website):
"I am disappointed but not about the team's performance. They did everything they could and did a really good job. We are out but we will try again next season. We will try to make the fans and the Club proud. We will learn from this, progress. We want to continue learning and next season we will be back."
Barcelona will now turn their focus to LaLiga. They will be in action against Real Madrid for the final El Clásico of the season on Sunday (May 11).
