Lamine Yamal scored twice as Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-2 in La Liga, marking his first two-goal game in six months and setting a new record in Spanish football.
The 19-year-old winger struck in the 21st minute before completing his double in the 90th minute, punishing the visitors from Madrid at both ends of the match.
Yamal’s second goal also brought up a significant individual milestone. He became the youngest player in the history of Spanish football to score 50 goals at club level, reaching the mark at the age of 19 years and 49 days.
The Barcelona forward had last scored more than once in a match on 28 February. On that occasion, he scored a hat-trick against Villarreal, but from then until the meeting with Rayo Vallecano he had not managed more than one goal in any single game.
His latest performance therefore combined a return to multi-goal form with a record-breaking achievement. The two goals helped Barcelona to a 5-2 victory and ensured Yamal was central to the result.
Yamal’s landmark came during a match in which Barcelona scored five times, while Rayo Vallecano found the net twice. His goals were separated by most of the contest, with the first arriving early and the second coming in the closing minute.
The achievement underlines the significance of his scoring record at club level. While his previous multiple-goal performance had produced three goals against Villarreal, his brace against Rayo Vallecano was the first time in six months that he had scored twice in the same match.
Barcelona are managed by Hans-Dieter Flick, and their next fixture is scheduled for 6 September against Valencia.
That match will follow a result in which Yamal reached a new personal landmark and helped his side to another emphatic La Liga win. For the 19-year-old, the evening ended with two goals, a 5-2 Barcelona victory and a place in the record books as the youngest player in Spanish football to reach 50 club goals.