Spain left-back kept his international teammate in check as Chelsea hammered Barcelona
Wayne Rooney has said Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella provided a masterclass on how to stop Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.
Chelsea’s left-back was tasked with stopping the 18-year-old winger in their Champions League clash on Tuesday, and succeeded in neutralising him without resorting to fouls or risky tackles. He stayed tight throughout and rarely allowed the Barcelona forward space to turn.
Chelsea hammered Barcelona 3-0, although Hansi Flick’s side had a man sent off with the score still at 1-0. Yamal has been hailed as one of Europe’s brightest young talents.
Rooney said: “Cucurella’s given the best training lesson you could have for dealing with Lamine Yamal tonight.
“Cucurella was absolutely incredible, probably the best performance I’ve seen from a left-back for a long, long time. To do that tonight, he’s a serious player.”
Chelsea took the lead midway through the first half when Jules Kounde turned the ball into his own net under pressure. Then the critical moment came when Ronald Araujo received a second yellow for a foolish tackle, leaving Barcelona a man down for the entire second period.
The hosts took full advantage. Estevao doubled Chelsea’s lead before Liam Delap defied Barcelona’s pesky offside trap to add some gloss to the scoreline.
