On paper, Lamine Yamal departed the pitch against FC Porto in the 80th minute, although the teenage forward from Barcelona had actually left almost ten minutes earlier.

This indicates that the Blaugrana used just 10 men during these 10 minutes, which are between 71′ and 80′.

That’s accurate! The sixteen-year-old, who recently extended his contract, experienced an event that will live in his memory in his first start in the UEFA Champions League.

What was the status of Yamal?

Mundo Deportivo claims that Yamal suddenly departed the field in the 71st minute and made his way to the locker room because of an unanticipated sickness. 

But he never returned to the field of play. As a result, Barça had a player sidelined for more than ten minutes—a circumstance unrelated to an injury or dismissal. 

Only in the 80th minute, with all 11 of Barcelona’s players available, did Marcos Alonso enter the game as Yamal’s replacement.

In any case, the game had been delayed for a few minutes during these ten minutes when the referee sounded the whistle, citing Joao Cancelo’s handball as the cause of the penalty. 

Barcelona had to substitute a player for ten minutes of play when Lamine Yamal had to run to the locker room. (Image courtesy of Getty Images and Miguel Riopa/AFP)(

But the referee changed his mind after seeing the play on the VAR monitor. Even throughout this time, Yamal had taken a quick break to use the restroom and had not returned to the action on the field.

What was said by Xavi?

In response to questions on the incident, Barcelona manager Xavi disclosed that his young attacker has been battling a medical condition. The player tried to come back, but it wasn’t meant to be; he had already told the management about it.

“Lamine Yamal has been informing me about his condition for a time. When questioned about the incident, Xavi said, “I used a break to tell him to hurry and use the restroom, but in the end, he told me that he wouldn’t be able to get back to the pitch.”

Nevertheless, the Blaugrana had to use 10 men to end the game. Gavi was given his second caution for a careless challenge in the third minute of extra time, which resulted in Barcelona losing one player.

For what it’s worth, though, the side was able to maintain their lead and emerged triumphant 1-0.