Doubt had started to swirl around FC Barcelona like dark clouds over the Mediterranean. Back-to-back blows — a painful Copa del Rey humiliation against Atlético Madrid and a shocking La Liga setback to Girona — left the Catalan giants under intense scrutiny heading into Matchday 25. A response wasn’t optional. It was mandatory.
Standing in their way was a struggling Levante side under Luis Castro, still bruised from defeat to Villarreal. On paper, the script looked predictable. On the pitch, it unfolded exactly that way.
Set up in a sharp 4-3-3 by Hansi Flick, Barça unleashed an attacking wave featuring João Cancelo, Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Dani Olmo. Any hope of suspense evaporated almost instantly.
In the 4th minute, Eric García reacted quickest to a loose ball that ricocheted off Marc Bernal, firing past Mathew Ryan to open the scoring. By the 32nd minute, Frenkie de Jong doubled the advantage, finishing off a beautifully weighted assist from Cancelo. Barcelona were dominant — suffocating possession, dictating tempo, and moving with the urgency of a team desperate to silence critics.
The second half brought fresh legs — Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Fermín López — but the story didn’t change. Control remained absolute. López eventually capped the night with a third goal, sealing a commanding 3–0 victory. With Real Madrid stumbling against Osasuna, Barça climbed back to the summit of La Liga. The crowd celebrated. Relief washed over the stadium.
But while the scoreboard told one story, another was quietly brewing on the touchline.
As the match wound down, Lamine Yamal was substituted — and the cameras caught something telling. The young Rocafonda prodigy walked off with visible frustration, his expression tight, his glance toward the bench notably absent. It was a brief moment, but in modern football, seconds are enough to ignite headlines. Social media erupted, and speculation followed immediately.
After the match, Flick addressed the situation twice. Calm, measured, and slightly firm, he dismissed the drama. “If he’s upset about his performance, that’s normal,” he said. “The important thing is to win and that we have players who deserve minutes.” When pressed further, the German coach added pointedly, “You put a lot of focus on everything Lamine does. I have no issue with his reaction. He’s human.”
Inside the club, the message was clear: no crisis, no conflict — just the emotions of a competitive young star. Reports from Sport echoed that stance, portraying it as routine frustration. Flick even redirected praise toward João Cancelo, labeling him “fantastic” in an apparent effort to keep attention on the team’s performance.
Still, observant Catalan journalists noted one detail: during the substitution, Flick avoided direct interaction with Yamal. Was it a coincidence? Strategic man-management? Or the first ripple of something deeper?
For now, Barcelona are back on top. The pressure has eased, at least temporarily. Yet in the Catalan capital, storylines have a habit of lingering long after the final whistle. And while Real Madrid may have slipped, the spotlight now subtly shifts toward one of Barça’s brightest stars — and how this evolving dynamic unfolds.
Because at Barcelona, even in victory, the drama never truly disappears.