Barcelona coach Flick sheds light on Lamine Yamal’s injury after goal vs. Elche: ‘It’s not over’
Lamine Yamal has been managing a case of pubalgia that’s affected his performances in the last few weeks. After returning to the scoresheet with a goal against Elche, FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick offered an update on the 18-year-old’s recovery and ongoing treatment, saying, “It’s not over.”
Barcelona hosted the game against Elche on Sunday for Matchday 11 of the 2025–26 La Liga season, looking to jump back from last week’s 2-1 El Clásico defeat and stay in the title race. The Catalan side struck early when Alejandro Balde set up Yamal for the opener in the ninth minute. Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford later added goals to seal a 3–1 win, with Elche’s Rafa Mir scoring their lone goal.
After the match, Flick was asked about Yamal’s fitness and whether he was fully recovered. “At the moment, he has to handle his injury. Yesterday, I said that he’s doing really good; he’s got a lot of discipline, but he has to do this. He has to train, treatments, all these kind of things he has to do, and he did it,” he said in the post match press conference.
The German coach emphasized that Yamal’s return to form was encouraging but cautioned against rushing expectations: “It’s a good step forward for him, but I cannot say it’s over. It’s always about coming and going like this. And like I said, he has to manage it.”
Elche pushed Barcelona to be more cautious, holding 51% of possession, but the hosts were sharper on the counterattack. Yamal, who played 88 minutes before being replaced by Roony Bardghji, was clinical in front of goal and worked hard defensively, winning two of his five duels, another promising sign as he continues to rebuild his rhythm.
Yamal faces crucial stretch of upcoming games
After the disappointing defeat in El Clasico, Barcelona needed a win to stay within reach of the top of the table, and they delivered. The win moved the Catalans to second place in La Liga with 25 points, five behind leaders Real Madrid. Still, Yamal’s injury remains a concern heading into a critical stretch of matches.
Barcelona next face Club Brugge in Matchday 4 of the Champions League, as they look to climb back into the top eight of the group stage standings, followed by a league fixture against Celta Vigo next Sunday. It also remains to be seen whether Yamal will receive a call-up for Spain’s final UEFA World Cup qualifying matches. The teenager remains an essential piece for La Roja, but given his lingering injury, his fitness could once again come into question.