Barcelona - Villarreal: Lamine Yamal's hat-trick lifts Barcelona to 4-1 LaLiga win

In the barcelona - villarreal clash at Spotify Camp Nou, Lamine Yamal scored the first hat-trick of his career as Barcelona beat Villarreal 4-1 in LaLiga on Saturday. The performance marked a personal turning point for the 18-year-old, who said he has struggled this season but is now enjoying football again.

Yamal's three goals: two in the first half, one after the break

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring from a pass by Fermín López, added a second in the first half with a finish after dribbling past two Villarreal players, and completed his treble after the break. The three goals made him the first 18-year-old to record a hat-trick in Spain's top flight since 1967 and the first hat-trick of his career.

Match events: assists, a Villarreal reply and Lewandowski off the bench

Fermín López supplied the pass for Yamal's opening goal. Pape Geuye pulled Villarreal back into the match with a goal that reduced the deficit, but Yamal restored Barcelona's two-goal cushion before substitute Robert Lewandowski, introduced later in the game, completed the 4-1 scoreline in the final minutes. Lluis Bou analyzed the match in a 2: 00 segment highlighting those key moments.

Yamal on fitness and mentality after a difficult spell

Yamal acknowledged he had not felt well early in the season and that recovering had been difficult for several reasons, including a problem in the groin. "No me sentía muy bien [al principio de la temporada]... Tenía un problema [en la ingle] y, en general, no estaba contento. Fue una mezcla de muchas cosas. Se notaba, " he said, later adding that he has felt much better for about a week: "Sonrío cuando juego, algo que no era así durante un tiempo, y soy feliz en el campo. "

Season numbers and historic context for the hat-trick

After the Villarreal game Yamal is Barcelona's top scorer with 18 goals in 34 matches across all competitions, a total that equals his entire tally from last season but achieved in 21 fewer matches. The hat-trick placed him among the youngest ever: only José Iraragorri (17 years and 337 days, in 1930) and Pombo (18 years and 200 days, in 1934) recorded hat-tricks at younger ages.

Coach Hansi Flick on defensive attention and the club's priorities

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick pointed to a tactical reason for Yamal's earlier struggles, noting that opponents sometimes deploy two or three players to mark him and that this affected his confidence and one-on-one rhythm: "El rival a veces juega con dos o tres jugadores contra él... Se notaba que a veces le faltaba confianza, la dinámica para este uno contra uno. " Flick said he was pleased with the performance and that it should restore confidence: "cuando disfruta jugando, es perfecto para él y también para nosotros. "

Standings implications and Copa del Rey focus

The victory left Barcelona four points clear of Real Madrid, who host Getafe on Monday. Barcelona now turn attention to the Copa del Rey second leg at home against Atlético de Madrid, with Atlético holding a 4-0 advantage from the first leg, a deficit Flick acknowledged makes the tie a significant challenge—though he added that with Yamal in this form, anything is possible.