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Hero against Bodø/Glimt
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The UEFA Champions League is only one matchday old, but already some great stories are unfolding. One of them involves Youssoupha Mbodji. The 21-year-old Slavia Prague defender not only made his Champions League debut today, but his two goals also secured Slavia a point at home against Norwegian outfit Bodø/Glimt (2-2).
It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, though, for Mbodji on his debut in the Champions League. The 21-year-old scored his first goal 23 minutes into his debut. But then conceded a penalty in the 54th minute. Thankfully, goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek was able to save the shot by Kasper Høgh. Then, after 74 minutes, Mbodji secured his brace. “There were more factors for including him,” Slavia head coach Jindřich Trpišovský said to UEFA.com when asked about Mbodji’s goals. “We scored two goals from his side. The offensive part of his play is very strong – his performance tonight, given his previous experience, was phenomenal."
That should have capped off his dream start to his Champions League career. But first, Daniel Bassi halved the lead in the 78th minute, and then deep into stoppage time, Sondre Brunstad Fet equalized for the visitors. "It's a draw that is hard to accept for us,” Trpišovský said after the game. “We were close to a win and had a great chance to decide it in the final minute. Our performance has been distorted by the result.”
From Evian to UCL – The meteoric rise of young Mbodji
Indeed, Slavia will overall be disappointed with the result. Still, in Mbodji, they have uncovered a talent who has emerged from out of nowhere. Brought through the PSG academy, Mbodji came to prominence playing for French fifth-tier side Evian Thonon until last summer when Slavia signed him for €1.2 million. That investment seems to be worth it already. Still without a market value, Transfermarkt plans to assign a starting evaluation to the player very soon. If he can continue his rise, Slavia will surely earn a handsome profit on their €1.2m investment.
