Lamine Yamal Scores First La Liga Goal

Lamine Yamal scored his first La Liga goal of the season as Barcelona narrowly defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at the Olympic Stadium. The 17-year-old Spanish winger put Barcelona ahead in the 24th minute with a curling shot from outside the box that deflected off Athletic defender Inigo Lekue. Athletic Bilbao equalized just before halftime when they were awarded a penalty after Pau Cubarsi fouled Alex Berenguer in the box, following Lamine Yamal’s opening goal.

Oihan Sancet converted the spot-kick sending Marc-Andre ter Stegen the wrong way. Robert Lewandowski, who had previously hit the post twice, scored the decisive goal with 15 minutes remaining. Pedri’s low cross was parried by Athletic goalkeeper Alex Padilla and Lewandowski capitalized on the rebound to score from close range ensuring Barcelona’s victory.

This win keeps Barcelona’s perfect start to the La Liga season intact. Real Madrid, the defending champions will host Real Valladolid at the Bernabeu on Sunday at 16:00 BST. Barcelona displayed resilience to secure the win, despite being without new £51 million signing Dani Olmo. The club has struggled to register Olmo due to La Liga’s squad cost control regulations.

To address financial issues, Barcelona recently let German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan join Manchester City on a free transfer. Gundogan, who had been one of Barcelona’s highest earners, left after an impressive debut season. Barcelona is also looking to offload striker Vitor Roque before the transfer deadline. The club recently announced the departures of captain Sergi Roberto and full-back Julian Araujo, who joined Bournemouth.