"He is a cheat code", "No more words to describe him" - Fans praise Barcelona star despite their 3-2 loss to Villarreal

Fans online heaped praise on Lamine Yamal for his performance in the LaLiga match between Barcelona and Villarreal on Sunday (May 18). The youngster was the 'Player of the Match' even though his side fell to a 3-2 defeat in their final home league game of the 2024-25 campaign.

After securing the title with a 2-0 win over Espanyol on May 15, Hansi Flick’s men seemed complacent on Sunday. Villarreal punished their slow start, as Nicolas Pepe beat the Blaugrana’s high line and sent a cross-field pass to Ayoze Perez, who sent a low shot into the net (4').

Barcelona responded well, as Lamine Yamal restored parity (38') with his trademark finish, cutting inside on the edge of the box and curling a left-footed effort into the far corner. Fermin Lopez turned the game on its head before the break (45+5') with a volley.

Villarreal scored the equalizer five minutes after the restart through Santi Comesana. While Barcelona continued to dictate proceedings, Tajon Buchanan delivered the sucker punch 10 minutes from time to earn the Yellow Submarine a spot in the next season’s Champions League.

While Barcelona suffered their first league defeat since the turn of the year, Lamine Yamal again produced a memorable performance. He registered four shots on target, completed seven out of 13 attempted dribbles, made two key passes, won eight of his 18 duels, and was his highest-rated player (8.3), as per Sofascore.

After the match, fans lauded his performance on X.

'Men in Blazers' wrote:

“LAMINE YAMAL IS A CHEAT CODE 🤯Copy and pastes another goal, cutting onto his left foot with devastating consequences. Ridiculous talent once more.”

Another X user tweeted:

“Yamal is bullying grown ups like nothing 😭😭😭.”

“There are simply no more words to describe yamal again tbh,” @tiredasf_ wrote.

“If Lamine Yamal doesn’t win the Ballon d'Or I’m not watching football anymore,” @oompiedave chimed in.

“We know by now that it's Yamal that's carrying Barca,” @Israeloa_tweets added.

“Yamal is too good man,” @iamPabalelo chimed in.

With his first successful dribble attempt against Villarreal, Yamal became the first player to complete 150 dribbles in any of Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Hansi Flick says Barcelona may have to work harder for titles next season after 3-2 defeat to Villarreal

Hansi Flick warned his players after their sixth LaLiga loss of the season on Sunday. The German tactician urged them to evolve but also praised their performance in the match.

He told DAZN:

“Next season we may have to work even harder to win titles. It’s not about perfection, it’s about evolution. The players have done an extraordinary job and deserve a day like this. I’ve told the players they deserve this celebration."

“You can feel the connection with the fans all season, and the way the team plays has helped foster this connection. The party was incredible, and for me as a German, it was incredible," he added.

Barcelona will face Athletic Bilbao in their final league match of the season on Sunday (May 25).