What had been billed as a meeting of two teenage sensations turned into Estevao Willian’s night. With Chelsea already in control and Barcelona reduced to 10 men, the 18-year-old produced a moment that lit up Stamford Bridge.
After a pass from Reece James, Estevao cut inside, wrong-footed Alejandro Balde and fired a low, driven shot into the roof of the net past Joan Garcia. The strike completed a 3-0 victory and underlined why the buzz around him is growing.
"Start believing the hype," former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin declared on BBC Radio 5 Live, praising the finish and Estevao’s footwork, movement and football intelligence as "beautiful to see." Ex-Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge told Amazon Prime that expectation had been on Lamine Yamal, but Estevao’s display was "absolutely brilliant."
Yamal was withdrawn in the 80th minute to jeers as Chelsea’s dominance was already established; Estevao left the field two minutes and 40 seconds later to a standing ovation.
Tuesday’s Champions League tie was the first official meeting between the two 18-year-olds, born three months apart in 2007. Valuations from the CIES Football Observatory put Yam
