Barcelona boss Hansi Flick highlights what impressed him more than bicycle kick goal from Lamine Yamal in win over Real Oviedo

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick heaped praise on Lamine Yamal’s work rate during their win over Real Oviedo on Sunday, January 25. He praised his bicycle kick goal but hailed his efforts even higher.

The Blaugrana beat Real Oviedo 3-0 at Spotify Camp Nou in LaLiga on Sunday. After a goalless first half, Yamal pressed Oviedo’s defence into a mistake, helping Dani Olmo score in the 52nd minute. Raphinha added another five minutes later, before Yamal scored a bicycle goal in the 73rd minute.

Speaking about the 18-year-old’s performance, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick said (h/t Barca Blaugranes):

“For me, much more important was what Lamine did for the first goal. The way he pressed and how he recovered the ball lading to that goal is what we want. This was the key to opening this game and the three points. For me, it was more important than the third goal. But, of course, everyone loves to see the goal he scored in football and I am happy that he scored such a goal.”

Yamal attempted two shots against Oviedo, completed 31/36 passes, including four key passes, and completed 1/3 dribble attempts (via SofaScore).

Hansi Flick assesses Barcelona’s performance in win over Oviedo

The Blaugrana had 73% possession against Oviedo in LaLiga. They made 16 attempts, with seven being on target, as compared to the visitors’ 10 attempts, with four being on target. However, Hansi Flick felt that Barcelona weren’t at their best on the night, saying in his post-match press conference:

“We always want to play at our best, but sometimes it doesn’t quite work out that way. But when you win, it’s good, even if you play a first half like today’s. We lacked intensity and dynamism, but we recovered in the second half with the right substitutions and by knowing where to position ourselves and attack.”

“They pressed very high up the pitch, and we weren’t good in the first half. But we improved in the second half and knew how to press. That’s what I want to see from the team: intensity and pressure. We have a lot of travel, we arrived late from the last match, and there are hardly any rest days. We have to take that into account, but I see that the team is giving its best, especially in the second half,” he added.

With the win, Barcelona retained their place atop the LaLiga standings, sitting one point above arch-rivals Real Madrid. They will next host FC Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, January 28.