Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente singled out Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal for praise following Tuesday’s (March 26) 3-3 draw with Brazil. He called him a brilliant player and praised him for not choking under the weight of expectations.
Barcelona Ace Lamine Yamal Impressed In Spain’s 3-3 Draw With Brazil
Spain welcomed five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium for their friendly clash on Tuesday night. Both teams tried their best to emerge victorious but were very evenly matched. After an entertaining battle over 90-odd minutes, the two former world champions settled for a 3-3 draw.
Yamal, 16, could not get on the scoresheet against the Selecao, but his performance was noteworthy. In the 11th minute, he drew a foul from Joao Gomes inside the box, winning a penalty for his team. Rodri took the resulting spot-kick and put it away to give Spain the lead. Then in the 36th minute, Yamal played the ball to Dani Olmo, who superbly found the top-left corner of Brazil’s goal with a left-footed curler.
The La Masia graduate also had a hand in Spain’s third goal, as it was his through-ball which allowed Dani Carvajal to barge into the Brazilian box and draw a penalty. Rodri once again benefitted from it, doubling his tally with a thumping drive.
Before coming off to the applause of Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the 90th minute, the Barcelona right-winger created two chances, pulled off six dribbles, and won a whopping 11 duels.
Luis de la Fuente Lauds ‘Intelligent’ Lamine Yamal
Speaking to the press after the entertaining draw at the Bernabeu, Spain boss De la Fuente commended Yamal for not getting carried away by all the praise he has received since breaking into Barcelona’s senior team this season.
Referring to his display against Brazil, De la Fuente said (via Barca News Network):
“Brilliant performance, but I like to be cautious, because I think it’s the best advice we can give him. He’s a very intelligent boy, he knows how to handle these situations. We ask him to continue being who he is, but always thinking that he has to put that talent at the service of everyone, as he does.”
Yamal, who has scored twice in six games for Spain, has been one of Barca’s standout performers this season. Playing 39 games across competitions, he has scored six times and provided seven assists.
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