Lamine Yamal magic not enough as Barcelona exit hands Arsenal Champions League boost | OneFootball

Lamine Yamal was mesmerising against Atletico Madrid, but his magic was not enough to get Barcelona into the last four of the Champions League.

Atletico have been a thorn in Barcelona’s side this season, getting the job done in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final with a 4-0 home victory.

Lightning has struck twice. This time, Diego Simeone’s side’s 2-0 victory at the Nou Camp last week gave them enough of a safety blanket to lose the second leg at home – their first home defeat in the Champions League knockout rounds since 1997.

That incredible record has come to an end. It doesn’t really matter, though: Atletico are in the semi-final and Barcelona are not.

When the superb Yamal gave Hansi Flick’s men the lead on the night inside four minutes, it felt like an incredible comeback was on the cards – and it felt even more inevitable when Ferran Torres’ brilliant left-footed strike hit the top corner in the 24th minute.

Yamal was purring with the sort of influence we saw Lionel Messi have in previous years.

The 18-year-old is extremely unlikely to repeat the numbers Messi produced at Barcelona, yet it would not be ridiculous to predict a similar level of influence and leadership over the next 10-15 years. And he honestly could bring the same joy. He is that good.

Yet when Ademola Lookman halved the deficit on the night to give Atletico the lead on aggregate again, there was a shift and Barca suddenly felt less threatening.

Torres did have a second goal disallowed for offside, which again took the wind out of Barca’s sails, and the visitors were not helped by a late red card for Eric Garcia – six days after Pau Cubarsi was sent off in the first leg.

Garcia’s red held less significance due to its timing, but playing with a man down is far from ideal when you are chasing an equaliser in your biggest game of the season.

Yamal continued to strut his stuff, but his supporting cast couldn’t get anywhere near a similar level.

Once again, the teenager was head and shoulders above his team-mates, completing eight dribbles in the second half alone and creating four big chances in the match.

There is only so much one player can do and, without Raphinha, there just wasn’t enough in attack for Flick’s side.

Fermin Lopez was likely concussed for a large chunk of that game, Torres produced two excellent finishes but did little else, and Pedri was quiet. Yamal was operating in a one-man band.

A player of his calibre deserves a Champions League title. Thankfully, he is only 18 and getting better and better. He will win it one day, but for now, something is missing for Barca.

Despite losing on the night, Atletico went through. They will face either Arsenal or Sporting in what will likely be an anti-football semi-final.

The Gunners have a job to do after winning their quarter-final first leg in Lisbon, but they won’t believe their luck in what was already an extremely fortunate Champions League draw.

Atletico will not be underestimated. If they are good enough to knock out Barca, they are good enough to ruin Arsenal’s season in the next round. However, they are two completely different teams and their similar styles will likely benefit the Premier League side, as Atleti thrive when playing against a team that prioritises attack over defence, which Arsenal don’t do in big games.

Regardless, Arsenal have their job to do against Sporting. As for Atleti, they have a Champions League semi-final to look forward to.

That is despite an inspired Yamal performance at the Wanda Metropolitano.

He did absolutely everything he could to get Barcelona through – and, more importantly, stop an Atleti-Arsenal/Sporting semi-final. But there’s only so much one 18-year-old can do. He needs help.