RECORD: Lamine Yamal, the youngest to score and assist in the same Champions match

Lamine Yamal broke another record of precocity with FC Barcelona this Tuesday against Benfica (3-1) in the UEFA Champions League. The player from Mataró assisted Raphinha for the 1-0 lead in the 11th minute and also scored a stunning goal in the 27th minute to become the youngest player with a goal and an assist in a match of the top club competition in Europe. At 17 years and 241 days, the '19' player surpassed Breel Embolo, who had done the same with Basel against Ludogorets (4-0).

The current Monaco forward scored a goal and provided an assist on November 4, 2014, at 17 years and 263 days in the match corresponding to matchday 4 of the group stage of the 2014/15 season. Basel would advance to the round of 16 as the second in Group B, which also included Real Madrid and Liverpool. The Swiss team later fell in the first knockout round against Porto (5-1 on aggregate) in a season in which Barça ended up lifting the 'orejona'.

Lamine's achievement, therefore, carries much more weight, as the record comes in a knockout stage match where Hansi Flick's team was fighting for a place in the quarter-finals. The young player has reached 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 matches so far in the Champions, a tournament where he had already scored against Monaco (2-1) and Atalanta (2-2) in the group stage. As for the assists, he had provided them against Bayern Munich (4-1) and Borussia Dortmund (2-3).

Lamine Yamal completed a great first half against Benfica

The player from Mataró started the match very engaged, with a shot near the area in the 8th minute that Trubin easily controlled and another good pass to Robert Lewandowski that the Polish striker failed to convert with power. Two minutes later, the '19' left Florentino behind with a great cut to enter the area and, in his eagerness to place a shot to the far post, ended up assisting Rafa, who appeared completely unmarked to finish comfortably against Trubin.

Benfica reacted with a goal from Otamendi a minute later, but Barça continued with their game. Controlling the pace of the match through possession and a suffocating pressure all over the field. In the 21st minute, Lamine again came inches away from assisting 'Lewy' with a great filtered pass that the '9' arrived too late to. Six minutes later, the young player unleashed all his magic on the right, shaking off the marking of Tomás Araújo with his characteristic inward dribble. With time and space, the winger unleashed a placed left-footed shot, with the direction and power needed to leave Trubin with no options. More than a shot, it seemed like a pass to the net. A truly beautiful goal.

In this way, Yamal has accumulated 12 goals and 17 assists in 37 official matches (3,002 minutes) in the 2024/25 season, being the third highest scorer on the team behind Robert Lewandowski (34) and Raphinha (27). The Brazilian also scored a brace against Benfica, his favorite victim in this Champions. Between the group stage and the round of 16, the '11' scored 5 goals against the 'eagles'. Supported by the impressive offensive production of their trident, Barça can undoubtedly feel like the main candidate for the title.