Lamine Yamal injured, out of World Cup and La Liga title race?

April 24, 2026 Aksel Kryhlmand

Lamine Yamal delivered a crucial winning goal for Barcelona against Celta Vigo on Wednesday, propelling Hansi Flick's side nine points clear at the top of La Liga. However, the teenage Spain star's heroics were overshadowed by an apparent hamstring injury suffered while converting the decisive penalty, casting a shadow over Barcelona's pursuit of the title.

The 1-0 victory was hard-fought, coming in Barcelona's first match since their Champions League quarter-final elimination by Atletico Madrid last week. The decisive moment arrived when Yamal, after exchanging passes with Dani Olmo, was fouled by Celta defender Yoel Lago inside the box. Yamal stepped up to take the resulting penalty, beating Celta goalkeeper Ionut Radu with a low strike. Crucially, the injury occurred during the penalty kick, forcing Yamal to be replaced by Roony Bardghji before half-time.

Injury concerns mount for Barcelona

The potential loss of Yamal is a significant blow for Barcelona as they navigate the final stretch of the La Liga season with six matches remaining, including a crucial Clasico against Real Madrid scheduled for May 10. Adding to the injury woes, Joao Cancelo also went off injured during the match.

Speaking after the game, midfielder Pedri acknowledged the importance of the win while expressing concern for his young teammate. "We have to win every game and seal La Liga as soon as possible, it was important to win today," Pedri told Movistar. Regarding Yamal's condition, he added, "I hope (Lamine's injury) is for as few weeks as possible. Tomorrow he'll be tested and we'll see what it is. I wish him the best of luck, and he should stay calm -- he's young and will surely recover well."

Celta Vigo's spirited effort

Despite the defeat, Celta Vigo, who now sit seventh in the league, put up a strong fight. Jutgla commented on their performance, stating, "We were very good in the first half, we had chances and they didn't have so many... but individual talent made the difference." Celta also saw former Barcelona defender Marcos Alonso smash a free-kick into the wall, denying them an equalizer. Barcelona themselves had a goal from Ferran Torres, assisted by Pedri, disallowed for a marginal offside call.

The match also experienced an unusual delay of over 15 minutes due to a medical incident in the stands, further adding to the evening's drama before Barcelona's goalkeeper Joan Garcia could secure the clean sheet.

World Cup status

Currently there has been no update from the Barcelona camp whether how long the injury is, how bad it is or if / when Yamal will be back on the pitch. As Pedri commented, he is a young player, which is in his favour. There is still months till World Cup, so unless something bad shows up on the scanning he's attending on 23rd of April, he is expected to be back in no time for the team and national team again.

Sources: sports.ndtv.com