Barcelona encountered an unexpected twist in their Champions League clash against Porto on Wednesday night when 16-year-old Lamine Yamal took an extended bathroom break at the Estadio do Dragao, leaving his team a man down for almost 10 minutes.
Coach Xavi made a bold decision to include Yamal in the starting lineup against Porto, making him the youngest starter in Champions League history at just 16 years and 83 days. This marked Yamal’s first start in the competition, playing officially for 80 minutes before his peculiar departure.
According to reports from MD, Yamal had to use the restroom during the second half and chose to leave the pitch during a break in play. However, the situation took an unexpected turn as he ended up being away for nine minutes, leaving Barcelona playing with 10 men during that period. Xavi Hernandez later confirmed that the young forward was suffering from an illness, leading to his replacement by Marcos Alonso.
Barcelona officially found themselves down to 10 men later in the match when Gavi was sent off in stoppage time. Fortunately for Yamal, his absence did not significantly impact his side, and the Catalan giants managed to secure the victory. Despite the unusual incident, Barcelona can take solace in the fact that they achieved their primary objective on the night.
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