LAMINE YAMAL will have to accept these Lionel Messi comparisons soon.
The 17-year-old star lit up his first Champions League semi-final as his superb spell diverted Barcelona from disaster — before a Raphinha rocket, in off Yann Sommer, saved them again.
All this from Yamal just a few hours after he rejected similarities with his fellow graduate of the club’s La Masia academy.
Hansi Flick’s men would have been travelling to the San Siro next Tuesday in need of a miracle without this little genius.
After the torment of conceding the earliest semi-final goal in Champions League history, then shipping another, Yamal dragged his side back into contention.
All that after Barcelona’s biggest concern at kick-off being how long he might last.
The teenager walked out of the warm-up early appearing to have felt something in his thigh.
Very quickly the hosts had a lot more to worry about as Marcus Thuram dealt a sucker punch after just 30 seconds, with the most delicate of touches.
Nico Barella collected a poor Jules Kounde clearance and fed Denzel Dumfries, whose cross fell perfectly for Thuram to apply an inspirational touch and make some history.
The start went from bad to worse for Barca as Dumfries then took centre stage.
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Francesco Acerbi nodded goalward from a corner, where Dumfries twisted and fired in a bicycle kick as Pedri ducked out of the way.
Inter had stunned their hosts with two goals worth of the Spanish club’s greatest magicians.
But they would end up being a footnote – thanks to the latest Barcelona maestro.
Yamal wanted to mark his 100th game in style and did not disappoint.
A new haircut caught the eye in the Copa del Rey on Saturday, but his feet did all the dazzling here.
With the hosts shell-shocked, one kid – not old enough to drink, smoke, drive or vote – stood up and took charge.
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Yamal shrugged off Thuram, the man who had dared take his limelight.
He turned and brushed past Henrikh Mkhitaryan like he was an afterthought and whipped an instant classic of a goal in off the far post when it looked like there was nowhere to go.
There was almost another all-timer to follow minutes later, leaving Federico Di Marco sliding on his backside before seeing a strike tipped onto the bar.
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Barcelona were in full flow now and decided to share the load.
Dani Olmo saw a couple of attempts stopped, but soon they broke through – Torres converting a tap in after Raphinha nodded the ball into his path.
The noise and momentum was all with Barcelona, though half-time sapped it and gave Inter the chance to remember they were still level, if dazed.
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Dumfries lifted Inter back off the canvas and into the lead once more with his second of the night – this one far more mundane, heading in from a corner.
But again they could not hold on, level again via a stunning strike and some stinking luck.
Yamal allowed a corner to run to Raphinha’s feet, the ex-Leeds man unleashing a thunderbolt against the bar which ricocheted in off the back of Yann Sommer.
Inter kept swinging, Mkhitaryan having one ruled out for the most minuscule offside before Yamal’s mis-hit struck the bar and Raphinha had another tipped over.
So much class, even more chaos and we are still no closer to knowing who will reach Munich.
