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At just 17 years old, Lamine Yamal carried Barcelona on his shoulders, but the dream faded just short of a miracle against Inter Milan.

On Tuesday night, Lamine Yamal tried to bend fate with slaloming runs, double feints, curling shots, and flashes of genius. Against well-organized Italians, the Spanish prodigy gave it his all — almost alone — while his teammates watched the train pass by.

Lightning in his Feet

Up against a Sommer in a state of grace, the young winger made countless attempts, charges down the flank, and runs — often into nothing, sometimes into pain.

For over an hour, he ignited the right wing, always on the edge, often beyond. But in front of him, a tough customer: Federico Dimarco. The Inter full-back didn’t let him breathe. More than that: he stuck to him like a Panini sticker, turning Yamal’s shadow into a background figure. It felt like they were playing as a duo.

And just when Yamal thought he had turned the tide, a penalty he won was downgraded to a mere free kick — just a few miserable centimeters off. The referee used his fingers, not his heart.

A Firework With No Echo

His left foot kept speaking. First with a stunning curling shot that Sommer reached from another world. Then with a sharp strike that crashed off the post, right before Inter struck back to equalize. Lamine wanted to write history — it shut on him.

And when Yamal dared to shoot with his right — madness for him — it was Sommer again. Always Sommer. Some nights the light shines, but the curtain never falls.

Yamal didn’t score, nor did he assist. But he shone in the dark like a shooting star we won’t forget anytime soon.

The Brilliance of a Lone Hero 

The first leg had been wild, the return leg bordered on surreal. Flick didn’t help: bringing on Lewandowski at the end was like flying a kite into a hurricane. Out of rhythm, the Pole missed everything — including a golden assist from Yamal in the 117th minute that even a chair would’ve converted.

We saw a 17-year-old kid give a footballing lesson to veterans. We saw him make a stadium breathe and a nation nervous. But in the end, it’s the Milanese who move on.

Exhausted, Yamal ended the match out of breath. For 120 minutes, he ran, dribbled, pressed, and brought danger against Italian defenders — the masters of reinforced concrete. And that kind of opposition is anything but restful.

The Barcelona prodigy lit up the Milanese night, but sadly, didn’t write its ending.

When you’re 17, with fire in your legs and the world on your shoulders, even miracles need a helping hand.