Getty Gavi has made history at the World Cup.
Barcelona’s 17-year-old midfielder Gavi scored his first senior goal for the Catalan giants in some style against Elche in La Liga on Saturday, December 18 at the Camp Nou.
The youngster produced a brilliant turn to race past Omar Mascarell and then sat down Enzo Roco before firing a precise low shot past goalkeeper Edgar Badia and in off the post, as shown by ESPN.
Not sure if Gavi or Messi 😯
Gavi’s goal made it 2-0 to Barcelona after a bright start by Xavi’s men. Ferran Jutgla had earlier opened the scoring on his senior debut. The 22-year-old headed home a corner on 16 minutes to hand the hosts the lead.
Jutgla scores for Barca in his first La Liga start! 👏
Jutgla and Gavi were part of a youthful-looking Barca starting XI that also contained Ez Abde, Nico Gonzalez, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, and Frenkie de Jong.
Xavi was without a host of players for the game due to injury and illness. Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite, Pedri, Sergi Roberto, Sergino Dest, and Yusuf Demir were all ruled out, while Gerard Pique missed the match through suspension.
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Jutgla Making an Impact at Barcelona
Barcelona’s attacking injuries saw Xavi hand Jutgla the chance to impress and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The attacker actually had the ball in the back of the net after just two minutes but saw his effort ruled out for a tight offside.
Jutgla had played his way into contention with a goal in midweek during Barcelona’s friendly clash with Boca Juniors in Saudi Arabia. The 22-year-old scored Barca’s only goal in a 1-1 draw in the Maradona Cup. Boca went on to win on penalties.
The youngster then followed that up with a debut goal against Elche which could bring more first-team opportunities, particularly due to the absentees in attack. Xavi’s decision to select Jutgla ahead of other options such as Luuk de Jong and Philippe Coutinho is also telling.
Barcelona Youngsters Hit Landmarks
The two goals saw both Barcelona youngsters hit landmarks. Jutgla is the third fastest player to score on his debut for the Catalans this century after Sandro Ramirez (on 12 minutes) and Eider Gudjohnsen (on 13 minutes), according to Opta.
Meanwhile, Gavi has joined fellow teenagers Ansu Fati, Nico Gonzalez, and Ez Abde in netting this season. Opta noted how Barca have had more young players on the scoresheet this season than any other team in Spain’s top flight.
4 – Gavi 🇪🇸 is the fourth player born in 2000 or later to score for @FCBarcelona in @LaLigaEN this season, after Ansu Fati 🇪🇸 (3), Nico González 🇪🇸 (1) and Ez Abde 🇲🇦 (1), the most of any team in the competition in 2021/22. Premiere.
Gavi also turned provider to set up Nico for the winner in the 85th minute. Elche had scored twice in two minutes in the second half to level the game before substitute Nico slotted the winner with a low shot from inside the penalty area.
The emergence this season of Gavi, Nico, and Abde to join teenage stars Pedri and Ansu Fati in the first-team squad suggests the future is really bright for Barcelona and Xavi.
Barcelona have already moved to secure Gavi’s long-term future, as reported by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Catalans have offered the teenager a five-year deal and talks could be completed soon.
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