It was a type of European nights you may really feel from kickoff, because it was a correct Stamford Bridge roar, vibrant lights, and a staff full of youngsters who simply didn’t care about stress. Chelsea hammered Ajax 5–1 within the Champions League, a press release win that’s obtained everybody speaking, particularly after Softfootball had predicted within the match preview that Maresca’s facet had been constructing one thing particular.
The tone was set early. Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor obtained himself despatched off within the seventeenth minute for flying into Facundo Buonanotte — VAR checked, the pink stood, and that was principally the beginning of Ajax’s nightmare. Seconds later, Wesley Fofana nodded the ball throughout objective for Marc Guiu, who poked it in from shut vary on his full debut. The Bridge went mad.
Earlier than Ajax may breathe, Moisés Caicedo made it 2–0 with a deflected strike. They did pull one again by way of Wout Weghorst’s penalty, however the Dutch striker then turned from hero to headache — fouling Enzo Fernández contained in the field at hand Chelsea one other penalty. Enzo buried it with out fuss, after which, proper earlier than the break, Estêvão — solely 18 — received and scored his personal penalty. That’s the way you announce your self in Europe.
At 4–1 by halftime, it was achieved. Maresca threw on Tyrique George, one other teenager, and guess what — the 19-year-old scored too, his shot flicking off a defender and wrong-footing Pasveer. Chelsea by no means seemed troubled after that. They completed with 62% of the ball and simply toyed with Ajax. You possibly can sense how assured this staff’s changing into, even in their current 3–0 win over Forest, which Softfootball coated final week.
Jamie Gittens took dwelling man of the match as posted on Chelsea’s official X account, and younger Reggie Walsh, solely 17, got here on to turn into Chelsea’s youngest-ever participant within the competitors. Three totally different youngsters scoring in a single Champions League match — that’s historical past. Chelsea followers have seen sufficient false dawns, however this one, this youth-fuelled glow, would possibly simply be the true factor.
