Barca's Lamine Yamal can learn Clasico lessons after Real Madrid triumph

MADRID – Lamine Yamal’s words before the Clasico caused more of a stir than his subdued performance on the pitch as Barcelona fell to defeat, and the 18-year-old can take some valuable lessons moving forward.

For the first time the teenager became the main focus of an entire stadium’s ire after comments he made before

Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory

on Sunday.

Joking on a social media stream appearance, he suggested Real “steal” and “complain”, and he was harangued by the Santiago Bernabeu crowd as a result during Los Blancos’ triumph that sent them five points clear of Barca at the top of La Liga.

Real players, led by captain Dani Carvajal, headed towards Yamal to remonstrate with him, as the ill-tempered ending to the game boiled over after the final whistle.

Barcelona’s assistant coach, Marcus Sorg, filling in for the suspended Hansi Flick, said the atmosphere might have affected Yamal’s flat display.

“It could be (that), probably a little bit, because he is also learning to deal with the crowd, the shouting and whistles from spectators,” said Sorg.

“It’s normal. Normally he’s very motivated and plays well. Today it was not so easy.”

Yamal has also now learned that sometimes he will get his comeuppance, which in his fledgling career he has not experienced much of.

He lifted Euro 2024 with Spain last year and went on to win a domestic treble with Barcelona, as well as finishing

second in the Ballon d’Or award voting

.

The forward has been quick to fire out jibes on social media, and last season said Real players can speak “when they beat me”.

Real players had his actions in mind as they sought out the teenager.

“Talk is cheap,” wrote Jude Bellingham, Real’s match-winner, on an Instagram post.

On the other hand, Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong criticised Carvajal for arguing with Yamal in public.

“If Carvajal wanted to speak to Lamine, he could do so in private,” said De Jong.

“If he thinks he shouldn’t do things like (those comments) he could call him. They’re team-mates (with Spain), they know each other. Why do you have to make a scene on the pitch?”

Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, however, said Yamal’s comments were not particularly upsetting.

“They’re just words, and there’s no bad intention. It motivates us a bit more, but if Lamine wants to talk, he can do so, there’s no problem,” he said.

“In the end, the match is played on the pitch.”

Yamal’s performance was unusually gray, with the winger seemingly still affected by a groin injury.

He rarely tried to beat his opponents one-on-one, in part thanks to Real’s attentive defending.

It would be a shame for Yamal to lose some of the spike which makes him interesting both on and off the pitch, but his disappointing afternoon will give him plenty to think about in the weeks and months ahead. AFP