He's only 18! — Hansi Flick offers passionate defence of Yamal after Atletico defeat

Lamine Yamal delivered another outstanding individual performance, but Barcelona who played with 10 men for more than an hour, lost 2-0 at home to Atletico Madrid in an anticlimatic first leg.

Yamal created several dangerous moments, beat multiple defenders on numerous occasions, and set up Marcus Rashford twice with two excellent chances that the England forward wasted.

At full time, Yamal was visibly distraught, as Barcelona's hopes of reaching the semi-final hangs in the balance.

When asked about Yamal’s performance and attitude in the post-match press conference, Flick wasted no time in offering strong support for his player.

“Lamine is frustrated, but from the start of the match in defense and in attack he has been impressive. He’s 18 years old and he’s doing a huge job, we have to help him,” Flick said.

“He is unbelievable. As I said yesterday, he's only 18 years old. For me, he's delivering PHENOMENAL work. We have to support him, most important.

“He might feel frustrated. He’s emotional, and that’s okay. We support him. We help him grow. We have to look out for him,” Flick explained.

The defeat leaves Barcelona with a difficult task in the second leg at the Metropolitano, where they will need to overturn a two-goal deficit.

Yamal is expected to be central to their hopes of mounting a comeback, and Flick’s comments send a clear message: the club will shield one of world football’s brightest talents as he continues to develop under the spotlight.