LONDON (AP) – With his family watching in the stands, Chelsea’s teenage sensation Esteban raced down the right side of the area, past two Barcelona defenders and fired a powerful angled shot into the net.
This beautiful shot earned Chelsea their second goal in a 3-0 win over Spanish giants Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday.
“I really can’t find the words to express how I feel,” said the 18-year-old Brazilian forward. “Everything was very fast for me. I was finding space and breaking through in small increments. I hope to continue scoring for years to come.”
Estevan was a constant threat to Barcelona’s defense and was a dominant presence as Chelsea secured their third win and moved into the top eight of the table.
“It really was a perfect night,” Estevan said. “(The goal) was a special moment in my career. From the moment I came here, I felt a connection with the fans. I’m really happy that I was able to score for them and make them happy.”
After the goal, Estevan approached a Chelsea fan and pointed to the club’s shield.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said: “Estevan played a very good game. He helped us a lot, not only with the goals, but also with the way we pressed.”
Liam Delap, Pedro Neto and man of the match Marc Cucurella also played well to lead the English club to victory and fifth place in the standings.
Estevan has quickly established himself as one of Chelsea’s most dangerous weapons and is already a fan favorite since joining from Brazilian club Palmeiras this summer. Some in Spain are calling him the Brazilian version of Barcelona’s young Spain star Lamine Yamal, who was ineffective at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Cucurella joked that Estevan “scored with his right foot at the end.”
Coach Cucurella said: “In practice he always misses with his right side, but today he was able to score in an important moment.He is really young and we need to help him, but he showed that he is a special player.”
Estevan had scored three goals in his last three games for club and country. He found the net in Brazil’s friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia during the recent international break.
Barcelona’s predicament
It was Barcelona’s second loss in five league games and fourth loss in their last 10 competitive games.
In the Champions League, they conceded three goals in two consecutive games. Defensive mistakes also cost the Catalan club a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge.
“Chelsea put a lot of pressure on us and we couldn’t adjust well,” Barcelona defender Eric Garcia said. “We had to chase the ball the whole time. We have to be more competitive in games like this. Duels, second balls… If we don’t make ourselves stronger, it’s impossible to win.”
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