It was billed as a battle of two teenage wonderkids – and for once it was Lamin Yamal who found himself overshadowed, sidelined from the spotlight.
It was Estevao Willian’s night.
With Chelsea already leading 1-0 and Barcelona down to 10 men, the 18-year-old produced a truly memorable moment to light up an already noisy Stamford Bridge.
Taking a pass from Reece James, Estevao cut inside, passed Alejandro Balde inside and then sent a rasping drive into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Joan Garcia.
As former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin said: “Start believing the hype.”
“It was a goal everyone watched and it was amazing in so many ways,” Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live after the 3–0 win. “It was very tight, the footwork, and it’s a great, great finish.
“But all the other parts of his game, the intelligence, the movement, the picking of positions… he’s natural. Because usually footballers are said to be natural and it’s not – but it looks very natural to him. There’s something players set apart from other players, a grace and elegance. It’s beautiful to watch.”
Speaking on Amazon Prime, ex-Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge said: “The hope and expectation was that it was going to be Yamal’s night and it would be all about him. But you see Estavo tonight and it was absolutely fantastic.”
Yamal’s evening ended in the 80th minute, having already lost the match rather than a joke.
After only two minutes and 40 seconds, Estevao stood up and left to a standing ovation.
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