World Cup worry as Lamine Yamal injured while converting penalty in Barcelona’s win over Celta Vigo

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Lamine Yamal was injured while converting a penalty in Barcelona’s 1-0 Spanish league win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday.

Yamal scored in the 40th minute and immediately looked to the bench to signal he was hurt. He dropped to the ground as his teammates arrived to celebrate, then appeared to grab the back of his left leg.

Yamal left the field on his own after being attended by doctors. He talked briefly with coach Hansi Flick on the sidelines before walking into the locker room tunnel by himself.

“Of course it’s a real blow for us because Lamine is a very important player for the team,” Barcelona midfielder Gavi said. “He was upset in the locker room. I don’t know how long he will be sidelined because of the injury, but hopefully he will be back as soon as possible because we need him.”

Barcelona didn’t give any immediate information about the severity of the injury sustained by the 18-year-old forward, who is set to make his World Cup debut with Spain in June.

“Hopefully Lamine will only miss a few weeks,” Barcelona midfielder Pedri said. “I wish him the best of luck. He needs to remain calm because he’s young and will surely recover well.”

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Barcelona also lost Portugal defender João Cancelo because of an apparent right leg injury in the 24th.

Flick said the injuries would be evaluated Thursday.

The Catalan club restored its nine-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, which defeated Alaves 2-1 on Tuesday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer