AC Milan’s Francesco Camarda thought he had made history on his Champions League debut – only for it to be cruelly snatched away.
The 16-year-old striker came off the bench to make his competition debut in a 3-1 win over Club Brugge, but was denied the ultimate arrival on Europe’s big stage.
Camarda thought he had notched his first Milan goal on his Champions League debutGetty
He instantly took his shirt off to spark wild celebrations with his teammatesGetty
With Milan holding a comfortable two-goal lead thanks to a second-half double from Tijjani Reijnders, Camarda was trusted to help see the game out, replacing Alvaro Morata in the 75th minute.
And he looked to have made an instant impact when, three minutes from time, he climbed highest to head in Reijnders’ cross.
A delighted Camarda immediately wheeled away in celebration, taking his shirt off and sliding on his knees in front of a wild San Siro crowd.
He was then mobbed by his teammates, who hoisted him in the air.
Aged 16 years and 226 days, Camarda thought that he had become the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history, surpassing Ansu Fati‘s record of 17 years and 40 days.
But there was to be a cruel twist just moments later, as VAR began to check if the goal was legitimate.
Heartbreakingly for the youngster, replays showed him to have been just offside when the cross was played in, and the goal was chalked off.
Camarda looked devastated as he found out that the goal, which would have been his first for Milan, would not stand.
Even referee Felix Zwayer looked gutted after ruling out the header – appearing almost apologetic as he shrugged his shoulders to show he had no choice.
And things then went for bad to worst for the striker, as Camarda was then shown a yellow card for removing his shirt in celebration.
GettyCamarda was mobbed by his teammates following his header[/caption]
The joy was short lived however, as the goal was chalked off and he was shown a yellow card for his celebrationGetty
Despite this, the Italy Under-19 international did still come away with one record, as he overtook former Everton striker Moise Kean as the youngest Italian to debut in the Champions League.
And with over six months still remaining to break Fati’s goalscoring record, which he ironically set against the Rossoneri’s bitter rivals Inter Milan for Barcelona, Camarda will fancy his chances of making history.
While he was visibly gutted at full-time, Camarda remained in good spirits in his post-match interview.
Speaking to Sky Italia, Camarda said: “It truly is the best day of my life. I find it hard to put into words the emotions I am feeling right now.”
On his disallowed goal, the starlet admitted: “Scoring would have been the best feeling ever, but then VAR played a trick on me.
“I’m really disappointed, but these things can happen in football. I want to achieve even more.”
Camarda also shared his pride at becoming Italy’s youngest ever debutant in the competition, saying: “It fills me with pride to hold this record.
“It motivates me to further develop my game and ensure that I can experience more nights like this in the future.”
Victory for Milan certainly boosts Camarda’s chances of featuring in Europe’s elite competition once again.
The win over Brugge was the Italian giants’ first in the Champions League this season, having lost their opening two games against Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen.
GettyCamarda appeared devastated at missing out on an historic goal at full time[/caption]
Former Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic opened the scoring, finding the back of net directly from a corner, before Kyriani Sabbe equalised for Brugge shortly after half-time.
Reijnders then secured a crucial three points with two goals in ten minutes.
