AC Milan: Cruel Disappointment for Camarda, Denied Goal by VAR in his First Champions League Match
He thought he was going to make history in style. Francesco Camarda (16 years old) became the youngest Italian to play in the Champions League on Tuesday during AC Milan’s victory over Club Bruges (3-1). Coming on as a substitute for Alvaro Morata (75th minute), he embellished his first appearance in the Champions League by scoring a header from a cross by Tijjani Reijnders (87th minute). The Italian football prodigy then celebrated by removing his shirt before being embraced by all his teammates.
In front of his tearful mother
He was even carried in triumph by some of them… before the cold shower. The referee eventually disallowed his goal for an offside position after consulting the VAR. The young player, cautioned for removing his shirt, found himself in another promising situation moments later but without success. At the final whistle, he was a bit disappointed not to have scored that goal in his grand European debut.
The player was comforted by his parents, who were present in the stands at San Siro, including his mother, seen with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hold your head high Francesco, we are all so proud of you,” wrote the AC Milan account on X. Born and raised in Milan, Camarda had already become the youngest player in history to play in Serie A at just 15 years, 8 months, and 15 days in a victory against Fiorentina (1-0) on November 25, 2023.
“He will score many goals, this is just the beginning,” reassured his coach Paulo Fonseca after the match. “What we are doing is trying to give him more space to progress, between the Primavera, the reserve team, and the first team. Sometimes it is harder to play in Serie C than in Serie A and vice versa. When he trains with us, he is very good. He has worked hard for the team, with courage. I don’t think he is a boy who plays his age when he steps on the field.”
