Many football fans were quick to criticize Lamine Yamal after Spain’s defeat to Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final. But was it really a bad game from the young Barcelona star, or was there more going on beneath the surface?

A fellow Culer on Reddit took a deep dive into Lamine’s performance—and honestly, their analysis reveals a very different story from the one doing the rounds online.

Here’s a full breakdown of what really happened.

Why Lamine Struggled: The Real Reasons

After watching the entire match closely, one thing became very clear—Lamine wasn’t the problem.

The real issue started with Óscar Mingueza. His defensive positioning was shaky, and his passing left a lot to be desired. That forced Luis de la Fuente to constantly shout at Lamine to help out defensively.

But instead of solving the problem by bringing Mingueza off, the coach kept him on—and dumped extra defensive duties on a 17-year-old who should’ve been focused on creating danger in the final third.

As a result, this was easily the game where Lamine worked hardest defensively in a Spain shirt. And naturally, the more you defend, the less sharp you are in attack.

Why would Lamine risk darting down the wing when he knew he’d have to sprint all the way back to cover for his full-back’s mistakes?

The Right-Side Problem: No Help for Lamine

It wasn’t just Mingueza, either. Having Robin Le Normand as the right centre-back didn’t help. Le Normand’s buildup play is limited, meaning Lamine was starved of quality passes in attacking areas.

Compare that to the left side of Spain’s setup—Dean Huijsen played a few great balls to Nico Williams, helping Nico get into dangerous positions. That’s exactly the kind of service Lamine was missing all game.

Without good passes or support, Lamine was basically left on an island.

Portugal’s Smart Tactics—and Spain’s Poor Response

Portugal, to their credit, targeted that weak right flank perfectly. They attacked Mingueza repeatedly, forcing Spain to shift resources to cover that side.

That meant Lamine Yamal, one of the most naturally gifted attacking talents in the world, was spending most of his energy defending against players like Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leão.

To make matters worse, there were moments where five Portuguese players surrounded Lamine whenever he received the ball. It was suffocating.

So where was the tactical adjustment? Why didn’t the coach move Lamine centrally or bring on someone else to help with defensive duties? Instead, the system stayed rigid, and Lamine was sacrificed to protect the right side.

Verdict: Lamine Didn’t Flop—He Was Let Down

So let’s be clear: Lamine Yamal didn’t have a bad game—he was just caught in a system that failed him. He was exhausted from defensive work, constantly outnumbered, and left to fend for himself while Mingueza contributed next to nothing on either side of the ball.

It wasn’t that Lamine didn’t try. He was forced into a role that neutralized his attacking threat, simply because the tactical setup around him was poor.

Blame the setup. Blame the coach. Blame Mingueza. But don’t blame Lamine.