Two assists and a stinging tackle: Yamal responds to Lemina after Barcelona's thrashing in Istanbul

Lamine Yamal settled his scores on the pitch and on social media. Tuesday evening in Istanbul, the FC Barcelona prodigy delivered a stellar performance against Galatasaray (1-4), providing two assists and winning the UEFA man of the match award during this second matchday of the Champions League league phase.

The day before, at the pre-match press conference, Mario Lemina had played the friendly provocation card. When asked about the threat posed by the Spanish winger, the former Olympique de Marseille midfielder (2013-2016) replied with a smile: “Who is Lamine Yamal? I don’t know him. I only know Leroy Sané.” The jab, widely relayed, apparently hit its mark.

The day after the Catalan victory, Yamal posted a series of photos and a video on social media, including a picture showing him with his man of the match trophy. The caption, addressed directly to Lemina, was terse: “And now he knows me?” The message accumulated 3.6 million likes in three hours.

Sportively, this success allows Barcelona to provisionally top the league phase standings with six points in two matches, level with Sporting Portugal and Arsenal, but with a better goal difference. The Blaugrana will continue on Sunday in La Liga with a trip to Real Betis, before heading to Parc des Princes on October 20 to face PSG.