Heartbreaking moment Champions League debutant, 16, has record-breaking goal ruled out minutes into first game

2 months ago 24

A TEENAGE sensation heartbreakingly had a record-breaking debut Champions League goal ruled out just minutes into his first game.

Francesco Camarda took to the field during AC Milan’s 3-1 win over Club Brugge.

a soccer player with the number 28 on his jersey

Francesco Camarda thought he had become the Champions League’s youngest goalscorer[/caption]

a player with the number 19 on their jersey

His AC Milan team-mates lifted him up high[/caption]

a soccer player with the word champions on his shirt

A dream moment for 16-year-old Camarda denied

Scores to become AC Milan's youngest #UCL goalscorer
VAR check for offside
Goal denied and yellow card for shirt off celebration

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Aged just 16 years and 226 days, the youngster replaced Alvaro Morata up front for the Italian giants at the San Siro for the final quarter of an hour.

In doing so, he became the youngest Italian and youngest AC Milan player in Champions League history – and just seventh overall.

And he thought his dream debut had turned into real-life fantasy just 12 minutes after taking to the field.

That is because ‘next Erling Haaland’ Camarda lost his marker in the middle of the area and headed a cross beyond Simon Mignolet.

The teenager immediately sprinted away in celebration, ripping off his shirt and then sliding on his knees on the famous San Siro pitch.

The adoring crowd went wild, thinking one of their own had become the Champions League’s youngest scorer ever – eclipsing Ansu Fati’s record of 17 years and 40 days.

Camarda – a transfer target for Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham – was even hoisted up by his jubilant team-mates as he beat his chest for the fans.

However, his moment of sheer delight was ripped away from him in devastating fashion.

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Because the semi-automated offside technology showed the striker had drifted just off – and therefore the goal was chalked off.

To make matters worse, Camarda got dealt with a double-whammy because it appears he received a yellow card for his topless celebration.

Camarda came to fans’ attention a few years ago with his outrageous numbers in the AC Milan academy.

He scored a whopping 247 goals in 40 games in 2017-18, 172 in 31 in 2018-19 and 64 in 16 games in 2019-20.

That totalled 483 goals in 87 matches – at an average of 5.5 per game.

AC Milan had to get special permission from the Italian Football Federation to select him in the squad for a Serie A game last November when he was still only 15.

And he made his first-team bow as the league’s youngest debutant aged 15 years and 260 days.

While Mignolet got a reprieve for the Camarda header, he was not so fortunate for his howler in the first half.

Christian Pulisic scored directly from a corner as the ball evaded everyone – including the former Liverpool goalkeeper who flapped as the ball flew past him.