Estevao won the battle of Champions League prodigies on Tuesday evening when Chelsea defeated Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.
The 18-year-old Brazilian, who is just 80 days younger than Ballon d’Or runner-up Lamine Yamal, received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 82nd minute after a dazzling performance.
Yamal had left the field two minutes earlier to sarcastic cheers after enduring a frustrating evening in west London.
Barcelona were thoroughly outplayed by the team currently in second place in the Premier League. The Blues had already had two goals disallowed when a Jules Kounde own goal gave them a deserved lead in the 27th minute.
Barcelona were reduced to ten men on the stroke of half-time after captain Ronald Araujo was sent off for two quick, bookable fouls.
Chelsea had dominated against eleven men and continued to take the lead against ten men.
Estevao’s wonder goal helps Chelsea beat Barcelona with ten men
The moment of the match came ten minutes after half-time when Estevao scored the fifth goal of his Chelsea career, smashing a shot into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net after dancing past Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde.
Substitute Liam Delap later set up Chelsea’s biggest ever win over Barcelona.
Chelsea fans troll Lamine Yamal
Tuesday’s match was billed as a showdown between the two most exciting teenagers in the world, and Chelsea fans made sure they got behind their man.
Lamine Yamal was bombarded with multiple verses of “You’re just so*** Estevao”. It was cleared for the first time in the first half after Yamal’s only shot of the match was easily saved by Robert Sanchez.
But the chants were much louder after Estevao’s stunning solo strike in the 55th minute.
It wasn’t just Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge who gave Yamal a stick on Tuesday evening.
Estevao better than Lamine Yamal, fans claim
Social media was full of bold statements about the two teenagers.
“Estevao makes Lamine Yamal look so normal,” one Blues supporter tweeted in response to a clip of his goal.
Another wrote: “Estevao is much better than Yamal!!”
A third Chelsea supporter seemed to make a major U-turn, stating: “I regret rating Yamal over Estevao because he has played more in Europe and top leagues than Estevao. Estevao is much, much better than Yamal.”
Meanwhile, a shocked Manchester United fan added: “I never knew Estevao was better than Yamal until today.”
Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Estevao vs Lamine Yamal stats
| Estevao | Lamine Yamal | |
|---|---|---|
| 82 | Minutes | 80 |
| 48 | Touches | 64 |
| 2 | Shots | 1 |
| 1 | Shots on target | 1 |
| 1 | Goals | 0 |
| 29 | Passes | 36 |
| 82.8% | Success over | 72.2% |
| 3 | Key cards | 2 |
| 2 | Dribbles | 2 |
| 1 | Free kicks won | 4 |
| 1 | Crosses | 1 |
| 0 | Tackles made | 4 |
| 0 | Interceptions | 1 |
| 2 | Commit violations | 0 |
Estevao is ahead of Lamine Yamal in terms of club goals
Estevao’s stunning strike on Tuesday was the 32nd goal of his club career and moved him ahead of Lamine Yamal, who remains in 31st place.
It took Estevao 100 club games – 83 for Palmeiras and 17 for Chelsea – to score 32 goals. He has scored 27 times in 83 appearances for Palmeiras and now has five goals in his first 17 appearances for Chelsea.
By comparison, Yamal’s first 31 club goals came in 119 games for Barcelona.
Spanish star Yamal has scored one more goal than Estevao at international level, but the Brazilian has a significantly better goals-per-match ratio.
Estevao vs Lamine Yamal: Goals comparison
| Estevao | Lamine Yamal | |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Club games | 119 |
| 32 | Club goals | 31 |
| 0.32 | Goals per match (club) | 0.26 |
| 11 | International games | 23 |
| 5 | International goals | 6 |
| 0.45 | Goals per match (international) | 0.26 |
| 111 | Total games | 142 |
| 37 | Total goals | 37 |
| 0.33 | Goals per match (overall) | 0.26 |
What Estevao said after helping Chelsea beat Barcelona
It only feels fitting to give Estevao the final word after his fantastic performance.
Speaking to Amazon Prime Sports through an interpreter after Tuesday’s match, Estevao said: “I don’t really have words to summarize how I feel right now. It was really the perfect night. I’m just grateful to God for everything that happened for me. Onwards and upwards from here.”
Speaking about his goal, he added: “It all happened very quickly for me, it actually happened before I knew it. I just found some space, squeezed through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more.”
“It was definitely the best moment of my career so far. I want to score many more for many years to come.”
At the end of the interview, Estevao was asked about his connection with the Chelsea supporters. He replied: “From the moment I arrived here, I felt such a connection with the fans. I’m so happy that I could score for them and make them happy. I hope to continue to make them happy and score more goals for them.”
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