In Istanbul, Barcelona’s perfect start has acquired the kind of momentum that travels beyond Spain. A 3-1 comeback at Galatasaray on Wednesday kept the Catalan club unbeaten in all 10 matches this season, and Lamine Yamal left no doubt about the scale of the ambition being carried into a demanding week ahead.
Barcelona’s Istanbul comeback
- Barcelona fell behind during their Champions League league-phase visit to Galatasaray in Matchday 2.
- The visitors recovered to win 3-1, preserving their 10-win record from 10 fixtures in the campaign so far.
- Yamal supplied two assists and was directly involved in another Barcelona goal, earning the match MVP award for a second successive Champions League round.
- One of his decisive contributions came in the move for Anthony Gordon’s goal, which made it 3-1.
The 19-year-old created that goal with a piece of improvisation near the byline. He shaped to deliver a rabona, bringing his foot behind his standing leg, before cutting back instead, reaching the line and laying the ball into Gordon’s path for the finish.
Yamal said the movement was not simply for spectacle. “Recently I had noticed defenders throwing themselves to the ground whenever I reached the byline,” he explained. “I saw the opening and felt it could work. It looks nicer, but it was effective, so I am very happy. I always try to use feints to make space. Anything that creates space gives us life.”
Aiming for every trophy
Barcelona have come close to a treble in each of the past two seasons, but the Champions League has remained beyond them, continuing a longer European frustration stretching through the past decade. That history has not reduced Yamal’s confidence as the club targets a full collection of silverware.
Asked whether Barcelona could win LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, Champions League and Spanish Super Cup, he replied: “Always. We are Barça and, for me, the best team in the world.”
A testing route through Spain and Paris
The Istanbul result arrives before a sequence that will give Barcelona’s claims a sharper examination.
- On Saturday, Barcelona travel to face Real Betis, who are competing near the top end of the league table.
- Three days later, the Catalans meet two-time reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.
- The week concludes with El Clásico against Real Madrid.
For Barcelona, the journey from Istanbul now turns through Seville, Paris and the rivalry with Madrid. The next three matches will offer a clearer measure of whether Yamal’s belief can be matched by a season capable of delivering every major prize.
