MADRID (AP) — Barcelona regained a nine-point lead over Real Madrid in the Spanish league on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo, where Lamine Yamal and Joao Cancelo suffered injuries before halftime.
Yamal was injured When converting penalties This marked Barcelona’s 8th straight league victory.
Spain forward Yamal, 18, and Portugal defender Cancelo, 27, were both substituted due to apparent muscle problems that raise concerns ahead of June’s World Cup.
Details regarding the severity of the injuries have not been released at this time.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said both players would be evaluated more on Thursday.
“Of course, Lamine is a very important player for the team, so this is a big blow for us,” Barcelona midfielder Gabi said. “He was upset in the locker room. We don’t know how long he’ll be out due to his injury, but we hope he’ll be back as soon as possible because we need him.”
Yamal converted a penalty in the 40th minute and immediately turned to the bench to signal an injury. As his teammates arrived to celebrate, he fell to the ground and appeared to grab the back of his left leg.
Yamal left the scene voluntarily after being examined by doctors. He had a brief conversation with coach Hansi Flick on the sideline before entering the locker room tunnel alone.
Cancelo had already been substituted in the 24th minute due to an apparent muscle injury in his right leg.
“We hope that their injuries are not serious and that they will be back with us as soon as possible,” Barcelona goalkeeper Joao Garcia said.
Immediately after Yamal’s penalty, the match was suspended for about 15 minutes as a doctor was required to attend in the stands.
Madrid narrowed their lead to six points with a 2-1 home win over Alaves on Tuesday. There are 6 rounds left.
Atlético’s poor performance
Atlético Madrid continued to struggle in the league, losing 3-2 against Elche and going without a win in four consecutive games.
Thiago Almada was sent off for grabbing an opponent inside the area, dropping him one spot from 30th place.
It was Atlético’s first match since losing on penalties to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final. Before that, Diego Simeone’s side had eliminated Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Atlético have won just one of their last eight competitive games (2-0 against Barcelona in the first leg). Although they lost 2-1 at home, they advanced to the semifinals.
For Elche, Andre Silva scored twice, including the winning goal in the 75th minute. He had already scored a penalty resulting from a foul on Almada in the first half.
Elche moved out of the relegation zone with their third win in four games.
Sociedad’s Copa celebrations were marred by a 1-0 loss to visiting Getafe, which lifted them into sixth place with their seventh win in 10 games. Sociedad remained in 8th place.
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