Lamine Yamal shines and leads Barcelona to victory in Istanbul

10 official matches and 10 wins. No other set of numbers better defines the trajectory of this Barcelona team, which has started the season in steamroller mode. In these matches, they’ve scored 43 goals. It doesn’t matter whether Raphinha—their best player on the field so far—is there or not, and they can even afford the luxury of not having a designated striker up front, as they did at Rams Park, since the goals just keep coming. They struggled more than expected in the first half after falling behind 1-0, but then Lamine’s masterclass in the first 20 minutes of the second half decided the match. Is there a limit to this team’s potential? Having survived the hell of Istanbul, two very tough away matches—against Betis and PSG—await them before El Clásico, and that’s where their true strength will be tested. If they come through those with flying colors, we could be looking at a season to remember for a long time to come.