Thuram and Lamine Yamal: Historic moments in Barcelona
The semifinal first leg between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan was spectacular from the start and packed with great goals, including two that have become etched in the Champions League history books.
They made their way into the Champions League history books with great goals: Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram (left) and Barcelona's gem Lamine Yamal. IMAGO/NurPhoto
After a dry spell at the wrong time, with three consecutive competitive losses and the resulting missed chance to win a treble, Inter Milan were at least able to welcome Denzel Dumfries and Marcus Thuram back to the starting lineup in time for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against FC Barcelona. The two players had barely played, if at all, recently.
The two were immediately immortalized in the Catalan metropolis' Olympic Stadium, which has been serving as an alternative stadium for the still-unfinished Camp Nou Stadium for some time. The 27-year-old Thuram scored with a fine backheel to make it 1-0 after just 30 seconds, before Denzel Dumfries (29) also made it 2-0 in a spectacular second half (21').
What was special about the former Gladbach player's first goal was that it would be the fastest goal ever scored in a Champions League semi-final. With his feat, Thuram clearly surpassed Kevin De Bruyne 's record. The Belgian had scored for Manchester City after 93 seconds in the first leg of the 2022 semi-final against Real Madrid ( final score 4-3 ).
At 17 years and 291 daysIn passing, Thuram once again demonstrated his great value in coach Simone Inzaghi's team, which also lost captain Lautaro Martinez injured at halftime. The Frenchman had already scored in both semi-final clashes with Bayern Munich ( 2-1 and 2-2 ).
Just like when Lamine Yamal scored after the Nerazzurri had temporarily taken the lead, the third-fastest 2-0 deficit for a Barcelona team after the 2004/05 round of 16 at Chelsea ( after 17 minutes ) and on Matchday 6 of the 2020/21 season against Juventus ( after 20 minutes ). And how: After a superb solo run, the 2024 Spanish European champion finished with a curling shot and brought his team back to 1-2 with an unstoppable shot.
The Blaugrana's still-young star thus secured the second history-book entry of this special football evening. The attacking talent surpassed Kylian Mbappé as the youngest semi-final goalscorer in Champions League history. The Frenchman had scored for AS Monaco against Juventus Turin in 2017 at the age of 18 years and 140 days . Lamine Yamal significantly surpassed this record at just 17 years and 291 days.
