Lamine Yamal propelled Barcelona to the Champions League last 16 with a goal and an assist in their 4-1 victory over Copenhagen on Wednesday. The Catalan club finished fifth in the league phase standings, securing an automatic spot in the round of 16.
Copenhagen took an early lead when 17-year-old Viktor Dadason scored in the fourth minute. Mohamed Elyounoussi's through-ball carved open Barcelona's defense, leaving Dadason with a one-on-one opportunity, which he converted with a cool finish. Barcelona struggled to break down the visitors in the first half, despite dominating possession.
Barcelona needed just three minutes after the break to level the score. A defense-splitting pass from Dani Olmo found Yamal, who squared the ball for Robert Lewandowski to score from close range. Yamal then completed the turnaround on the hour mark when his shot from the edge of the box took a deflection off Pantelis Hatzidiakos and looped into the net. Raphinha extended Barcelona's lead by converting a penalty after Lewandowski was fouled in the box. Marcus Rashford then sealed the victory with a brilliant free-kick in the 85th minute.
Yamal's performance was pivotal in Barcelona's comeback. His assist for Lewandowski's goal shifted the momentum, and his goal put Barcelona in the lead. This marks the third time in his career that Yamal has both scored and assisted in a Champions League game, putting him level with Kylian Mbappe for the most by a teenager in the competition. Yamal's eight Champions League assists are now the most by any teenager in the competition's history, surpassing Mbappe's previous record of seven.
Barcelona have shown resilience in this Champions League campaign, having won more points from losing positions than any other side. They trailed at halftime in four of their last five Champions League matches, but their second-half performance against Copenhagen demonstrated their ability to turn games around.
Barcelona will face either Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Monaco, or Qarabag in the last 16.
