It was one of those European nights you could feel from kickoff, as it was a proper Stamford Bridge roar, bright lights, and a team full of kids who just didn’t care about pressure. Chelsea hammered Ajax 5–1 in the Champions League, a statement win that’s got everyone talking, especially after Softfootball had predicted in the match preview that Maresca’s side were building something special.
The tone was set early. Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor got himself sent off in the 17th minute for flying into Facundo Buonanotte — VAR checked, the red stood, and that was basically the start of Ajax’s nightmare. Seconds later, Wesley Fofana nodded the ball across goal for Marc Guiu, who poked it in from close range on his full debut. The Bridge went mad.
Before Ajax could breathe, Moisés Caicedo made it 2–0 with a deflected strike. They did pull one back through Wout Weghorst’s penalty, but the Dutch striker then turned from hero to headache — fouling Enzo Fernández inside the box to hand Chelsea another penalty. Enzo buried it without fuss, and then, right before the break, Estêvão — only 18 — won and scored his own penalty. That’s how you announce yourself in Europe.
At 4–1 by halftime, it was done. Maresca threw on Tyrique George, another teenager, and guess what — the 19-year-old scored too, his shot flicking off a defender and wrong-footing Pasveer. Chelsea never looked troubled after that. They finished with 62% of the ball and just toyed with Ajax. You could sense how confident this team’s becoming, even in their recent 3–0 win over Forest, which Softfootball covered last week.
Jamie Gittens took home man of the match as posted on Chelsea’s official X account, and young Reggie Walsh, only 17, came on to become Chelsea’s youngest-ever player in the competition. Three different teenagers scoring in one Champions League match — that’s history. Chelsea fans have seen enough false dawns, but this one, this youth-fuelled glow, might just be the real thing.
