“There is the genius.” Alessandro Del Piero reached for the phrase in a Sky Sport Italia studio as the replay of Lamine Yamal’s 79th-minute equaliser at the Parc des Princes rolled on the screens behind him.
The strike briefly pulled Barcelona level at 2-2 before Paris Saint-Germain pulled away. Vitinha scored two minutes later, Fabián Ruiz settled it in the 86th minute, and Hansi Flick’s side left Paris with their first defeat of the season.
Del Piero went through the clip beat by beat.
“It’s a spectacle to see how he takes advantage of Zaire Emery’s mistake when playing the ball out,” the Juventus great told Sky Sport Italia.
Read also: Real Madrid accuse Barcelona of having “17 referees” ahead of El Clasico
“He immediately brings it down with his chest, moving aggressively towards the defender. That changes the whole dynamic of the move because he isn’t waiting; he immediately attacks the defender.”
That chest control is what Del Piero kept circling. Yamal does not cushion the ball. He drives it forward into the gap between himself and Warren Zaïre-Emery, forcing the French midfielder to retreat and open his left foot.
The lift Safonov could not reach
Then came the finish.
“He hits this powerful toe-poke. He doesn’t just hit it with his toe; he lifts it too. I think he lifted it deliberately.”
Read also: Karim Benzema return takes twist as Lyon chief finally addresses transfer rumours
“If he had hit it low, Safonov would have saved it with his knee,” he said. “To me, that is the genius.”
A highlight on Ballon d’Or week
Context matters. The Ballon d’Or ceremony is on Monday 26 October in London, and Yamal is one of the names at the top of every power ranking.
Last year, PSG’s Ousmane Dembélé beat him to the trophy after a treble-winning season.
The winner is announced at the London Palladium from 8pm local time on Monday.
Read also: Barcelona report PSG to UEFA after Champions League clash: “Overly aggressive and offensive”
Read also: Manchester City’s 114-charge case takes major turn as regulator reveals ultimate sanction
