Published 11:25 IST, October 8th 2020
Eduardo Camavinga marks France debut in style, scores from overhead kick vs Ukraine
French youngster Eduardo Camavinga bagged his first goal for Les Bleus in his first start, becoming the second-youngest goalscorer for the national team.
France's national team has no dearth of youthful talent in the ranks, including the likes of Kylian Mbppe and Ousmane Dembele. Didier Deschamps has been keen on promoting new talent in the first team right from the onset of the 2018 World Cup. His efforts to develop the next generation of French football stars saw 17-year-old Eduardo Camavinga being handed his first national team start against Ukraine on Wednesday.
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Camavinga debut highlights: Rennes star scores on first start for France vs Ukraine
Eduardo Camavinga made his national team debut last month when he was introduced as a substitute in place of N'Golo Kante when Deschamps' men embarrassed Croatia 4-2. Following his debut, the manager decided to hand Eduardo Camavinga his first start in the game against Ukraine.
Eduardo Camavinga left his mark on the game within 10 minutes of the kickoff. Olivier Giroud succeeded in connecting with a cross and looped the ball down at Eduardo Camavinga, who was looming just in front of the goalkeeper. The youngster, displaying some brilliant presence of mind, struck an overhead kick to loft the ball into the net, leaving no room for any effort from the defender or the goalkeeper.
Camavinga debut highlights: Second-youngest goalscorer for France
According to OptaJean, Eduardo Camavinga has now become the second-youngest scorer for France at the age of 17 years and 11 months. Previously, Maurice Gastiger scored against Switzerland in 1914, achieving the milestone at the age of 17 years and 5 months.
Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud scored a brace to humiliate Ukraine 7-1 in the international friendly. The likes of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) superstar Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann and Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso also managed to get on the scoresheet.
Camavinga transfer to Real Madrid in the works?
Eduardo Camavinga was one of the surprising revelations in Ligue 1 last season. The 17-year-old, who plays as a midfielder, has been linked with a move to defending LaLiga champions Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane has reportedly been keeping tabs on Eduardo Camavinga for a long time and the club might attempt to sign him next summer. Los Blancos made no additions to their squad this summer.
Amid the transfer talks, Eduardo Camavinga is bound to Rennes by a contract until 2022. During an interview with Telefoot, the 17-year-old had ruled out a prospective move to the Spanish capital this summer. There's still no clarity if he will agree to extend his contract with the Ligue 1 outfit, knowing the fact that there's only two years remaining on his current contract.
Image courtesy: Equipe de France Twitter
Updated 11:25 IST, October 8th 2020