Two of the world’s most promising young players, Lamine Yamal and Florian Wirtz, made their mark on the Champions League stage on Thursday, albeit with contrasting fortunes.
Yamal, 17, scored his first Champions League goal for Barcelona, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Spanish giants from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco. The teenager’s equalizer in the 28th minute canceled out Maghnes Akliouche’s opener, but George Ilenikhena’s 71st-minute strike sealed the victory for the French side.
Meanwhile, Wirtz, 21, enjoyed a dream debut in Europe’s elite club competition, scoring twice as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 4-0 win at Feyenoord. The German midfielder opened the scoring within five minutes and added another six minutes later. Alejandro Grimaldo and Edmond Tapsoba also found the net for Leverkusen, which lost in the Europa League final in May.
Other notable results on the night included Atlético Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Leipzig, Benfica’s 2-1 triumph over Red Star Belgrade, and Brest’s historic 2-1 win over Sturm Graz in their first-ever European appearance.
Yamal’s goal made him the second-youngest goalscorer in Champions League history, behind only his Barcelona teammate Ansu Fati. The Spanish teenager has now scored in all three of his Champions League appearances.
Wirtz, who has three goals in as many Bundesliga games this season, continued his impressive start to the campaign with his brace against Feyenoord. The German international has now scored in each of his last four competitive matches.
Despite the presence of these young stars, it was a veteran who stole the show for Atlético. Antoine Griezmann, 33, scored for the 11th straight season in the Champions League and also assisted José María Giménez’s last-gasp winner.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was the hero for the Gunners, saving a penalty in the 51st minute to preserve a 0-0 draw at Atalanta. The Spanish international’s double save denied Mateo Retegui and kept Arsenal’s unbeaten start to the season intact.
