Lamine Yamal says he will give hat-trick match ball to his mother

Lamine Yamal has revealed he will give his mother his first ever match ball after the Barcelona superstar scored a hat-trick in a 4-1 win over Villarreal. The winger put the visitors to the sword with a sensational performance before a late goal from Robert Lewandowski capped a routine victory for the Blaugrana, who moved four points clear of Real Madrid. Yamal goes wild Barcelona dominated Villarreal at the Camp Nou and Yamal was at the heart of all the action. The youngster was superb and led the away team ragged, scoring a hat-trick of left-footed efforts into the far corner as he continued to perfect his trademark finishing. The home side started a little shaky, but when Fermin Lopez stole possession from Pape Gueye in the middle of the park and put Yamal through, there was only one outcome. The winger opened his body and slipped under the goalkeeper to give Hansi Flick’s side the lead inside half an hour. Yamal’s second goal was the pick of the bunch as he chased down a loose pass from Lopez down the right sideline. He came inside, using fancy footwork and stepovers to play with Sergi Cardona and beat his man. Alberto Moleiro then tried to block his path, but the clever and stumbling Yamal cut the ball over Moleiro’s outstretched foot and into space. The ball bounced well for the Barcelona player who produced a scorching effort into the top left corner. In the second half, Villarreal got a goal back from a corner, but Yamal would soon put the match beyond doubt. Played in by Pedri, the Spanish striker only had the keeper to beat and made no mistake with a curling finish into the bottom corner. He was then replaced by Roony Bardghji and received a standing ovation from the adoring crowd. The winger gives the match ball to his mother After the match and scoring the first hat-trick of his career, Yamal collected the match ball. He headed to the friends and family section and was hugged by his loved ones. He explained: “My mother will definitely get the hat-trick ball!” Yamal is happy again Speaking after the match, he spoke about his return to form after a difficult period. He told Movistar+, via BeIN Sports: “It was a mix of everything. I myself didn’t feel well, plus the pubalgia. I wasn’t happy to play, and it showed. For about a week now, I’ve been feeling a lot better. I feel like smiling when playing again, something I haven’t felt in a long time. Now I’m happy to play. “People expect me to score 100 goals a year. season since I was 16, but it’s difficult.” League glory Barcelona found themselves on the favorable side of the Champions League draw, avoiding the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. The Catalan giants were pitted against Newcastle United, a team they had already knocked out earlier in the season. Should they eliminate the tricky trip to St James’ Park, Barcelona would face either Atletico Madrid or Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals The Gunners will first need to defeat Bayer Leverkusen, then one of Bodo/Glimt or Sporting CP will be determined to help their club return to the top of European football and will know that performances like theirs against Villarreal could go a long way in ensuring the Blaugrana get there.