FC Barcelona faced Club Brugge in the Champions League last night. It was an entertaining game for the neutral but, from the Catalan club’s perspective, there were many things to improve on in the coming weeks.
However, if there was one thing that would have put a smile on most fans’ faces, it was Lamine Yamal’s performance. The Spaniard has not looked himself in recent weeks, and much has been made of this slump in form.
Lamine has been suffering from pubalgia, which has caused him discomfort. Against Real Madrid, he played a poor game by his own lofty standards, and it had been a while since he dominated a match as he did against Brugge.
Stats from [Sofascore](https://www.sofascore.com/football/match/club-brugge-kv-barcelona/rgbsNhb#id:14566745,tab:lineups) back up the eye test. Lamine played the full 90 minutes, scoring one goal and providing one assist. He posted an xG of 0.85 and an xA of 0.41. The Spaniard created one big chance in the game.
Lamine recorded 99 touches, completing 51 of 63 passes. Thirty-six of those passes came in the opposition half, and three were accurate long balls. He also registered four key passes. The only blip was that he failed to connect with any of his eight crosses.
The 18-year-old took a total of five shots, three of which were on target and one was blocked. This included one big chance missed. He completed five of ten attempted dribbles, toying with the Brugge defence at every opportunity.
Defensively, Lamine was involved as always, winning eight ground duels. All in all, this was a performance that reminded everyone of the quality he possesses. At his best, there are few players who can operate at the level the Spaniard does.
Let us see how Lamine progresses and whether this spurs him on to hit more consistent heights. Only time will tell how things play out.
* Minutes played: 90
* Goals: 1
* Assists: 1
* Expected goals (xG): 0.85
* Expected assists (xA): 0.41
* Big chances created: 1
* Touches: 99
* Passes: 51/63 completed
* Passes in opposition half: 36
* Accurate long balls: 3/6
* Key passes: 4
* Crosses: 0/8 completed
* Shots: 5
* Shots on target: 3
* Shots blocked: 1
* Big chances missed: 1
* Dribbles completed: 5/10
* Ground duels won: 8