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Chelsea fans were in awe of the performance of teenage sensation Reggie Walsh as he made his full debut for the club. The 16-year-old midfielder was in the pitch for the entirety of the game as the Blues claimed a 1-0 win over Djurgarden.
Teenager Walsh came into the public eye in the first leg of the semi-final tie after he came off the bench for Tyrique George. The youngster became the youngest player to appear in a European game for the Blues, and their youngest debutant since 1967.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca praised Walsh after his brief cameo last week and named the U-18 star in the starting XI for his full debut at Stamford Bridge. The highly-rated young midfielder gave a good account of himself playing against Djurgarden and lasted for 90 minutes.
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The performance of Walsh drew praise from the fans, and some of them took to X to hail him. A fan expressed awe at the 'fantastic' performance of the youngster at his age
"Reggie Walsh has been fantastic, only 16 years old? Wow. He’s done himself proud.", they wrote.
Another fan was impressed by the display of the teenager.
"Yeah what a talent 🤩", they gushed.
A fan likened Walsh to Napoli man Billy Gilmour.
"Reggie Walsh reminds me a lot of Billy Gilmour.", they wrote.
Another fan charged the club to not sleep on the youngster.
"Chelsea must not sleep on this one", they advised.
A fan praised the technical level shown by Reggie Walsh.
"This is obviously going to be a pretty flat game for a number of reasons but Reggie Walsh doesn’t look out of place at all, technically brilliant.", they wrote.
Another fan made a similar observation, praising the youngster.
"Walsh looks technically brilliant despite the flat game. Definitely holding his own! ✨⚽️", they posted.
Reggie Walsh made his first Chelsea start at 16 years and 200 days old, becoming their youngest-ever European starter. He broke the record previously set by 17-year-old Shumaira Mheuka earlier this season by nearly a year.
Walsh was tidy in possession, completing 91% of his attempted passes in the game. He created one big chance, played three passes into the final third, and won four of ten ground duels in the middle of the park for the Blues.
Chelsea ease past Djurgarden to reach Conference League final
Chelsea claimed a narrow 1-0 win in front of their fans at Stamford Bridge to defeat Swedish outfit Djurgarden 5-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa Conference League. The Blues have now booked their place in the final of the competition and will play a ninth European final since 2012.
With his side holding a commanding 4-1 advantage from the first leg, Blues boss Enzo Maresca rotated his pack, making ten changes in total. His players needed 38 minutes to score the game's only goal, with 19-year-old Tyrique George setting up Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to find the net.
Chelsea had 65% of the ball in the game, registering five attempts on target from 17 total attempts. They generated 1.32 xG to 0.52 from their opponents, who had 12 shots and three on target.
