Madrid's Young Guns Smash Marseille to Reach Youth League Last 16
Real Madrid's talented youngsters put on a five-star show at the Di Stéfano, turning a competitive first half into a commanding win over Marseille in the UEFA Youth League.
Five-star Madrid youngsters overcome resilient Marseille to book their spot in the UEFA Youth League Round of 16 with an impressive display at the Di Stéfano.
First Half Drama
Madrid’s youth setup showed exactly why they’re considered one of Europe’s finest academies with a dominant performance against Marseille, though it wasn’t all plain sailing from the off.
The opening 45 was proper end-to-end stuff, with Los Blancos twice taking the lead only to be pegged back by a determined French outfit. Thiago Pitarch opened the scoring with a belter from the edge of the box after some lovely pressing work from Arnu, making his Youth League debut.
The visitors equalized through Baradji following a set-piece scramble (with a hint of offside in the build-up), before Madrid restored their advantage just two minutes later through a fortunate Doubal own goal after good work from the impressive Ciria down the left flank.
Just when it looked like Madrid would take a lead into the break, Marseille won a penalty after Mario Rivas brought down Le Pironnec, with Mmadi converting from the spot to make it 2-2 at half-time. Bit of a mare for the Madrid defense there!
Second Half Masterclass
Álvaro López must have given his lads the hairdryer treatment at the interval, because they came out for the second period with serious intent. The game turned decisively in Madrid’s favor when Yáñez, who was absolute mustard throughout, won and converted a penalty to restore the lead.
From there, Madrid’s quality really began to shine through:
- Goalkeeper Voloshyn made several crucial saves to maintain the advantage
- Diego Martínez (“Beto”) scored an absolute worldie from a free-kick 10 minutes from time
- Adri Pérez put the cherry on top with a fifth goal in the final minute after good work from Gabri Valero
Stars of the Show
Yáñez and Thiago were the standout performers for Madrid, with Cestero pulling the strings in midfield before being substituted. The introduction of set-piece specialist Diego Martínez proved inspired, with his stunning free-kick effectively killing the contest.
The victory puts Madrid’s talented crop into Friday’s draw for the next round, where they’ll fancy their chances against anyone after this five-star showing. If these youngsters are the future at the Bernabéu, the first team’s looking sorted for donkey’s years!