In Istanbul, Barcelona’s 4-1 Champions League win over Galatasaray carried on beyond the final whistle. Lamine Yamal, named player of the match after supplying two second-half assists, used social media to answer Mario Lemina, the Galatasaray midfielder who had previously said he did not know the Spanish forward.
A decisive night in Istanbul
Barcelona took six points from their opening two matches of the Champions League league phase after an emphatic evening in Turkey. Yamal was central to the visitors’ victory, creating two goals within three minutes after the interval.
- He delivered a cross for Fermín López to score with a header.
- Moments later, Yamal drove down the right, beat his opponent with an individual piece of skill and set up Anthony Gordon to extend Barcelona’s advantage.
- The 10-shirted attacker was selected as the match’s outstanding player.
Hansi Flick’s side will resume their European campaign next Tuesday, the 20th, when they travel to face Paris Saint-Germain.
Yamal’s message for Lemina
After the match, Yamal posted photographs from the Galatasaray game on Instagram and addressed Lemina directly. “Do you know me now?” he wrote.
The post referred to remarks made by Lemina in August 2025, which resurfaced before Barcelona arrived in Istanbul. Asked then to choose between his Galatasaray team-mate Leroy Sané and Yamal, the midfielder made clear where his allegiance lay.
“Who is Lamine Yamal? I don’t know him. I only know Sané,” Lemina had said.
Raphinha joins the exchange
Raphinha added his own response beneath Yamal’s post, joining his Barcelona colleague in the online exchange after the result.
- Raphinha wrote: “I think he knows you now 👀🔥”
- Yamal’s two assists and Barcelona’s four goals gave his reply an especially pointed backdrop.
