It was billed because the battle of the 2 teenage wonderkids – and for as soon as it was Lamine Yamal who discovered himself overshadowed, forged other than the highlight.
This was Estevao Willian’s night time.
With Chelsea already 1-0 up and Barcelona all the way down to 10 males, the 18-year-old produced a very memorable second to gentle up an already raucous Stamford Bridge.
Amassing a cross from Reece James, Estevao reduce inside, turned Alejandro Balde inside out after which despatched a rasping drive into the roof of the web previous goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
As former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin put it: “Begin believing the hype.”
“The purpose’s the bit everybody will see, and it was fantastic in a lot of methods,” Nevin stated on BBC Radio 5 Dwell after the 3-0 victory. “It was simply so tight, the footwork, and it is a good, good end.
“However all the opposite components of his recreation, the intelligence, the motion, the choosing up of place… he is a pure. As a result of normally footballers are referred to as pure and so they’re not – nevertheless it simply appears so easy for him. Some gamers simply transfer otherwise to different gamers, a grace and magnificence. It is lovely to see.”
Talking on Amazon Prime, ex-Chelsea ahead Daniel Sturridge added: “The anticipation and expectation was that it was going to be Yamal’s night time and it will be all about him. However you see Estavao tonight and it was completely good.”
Yamal’s night got here to an finish within the eightieth minute, substituted to jeers with the match already misplaced.
Simply two minutes and 40 seconds later, Estevao departed to a standing ovation.
