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Step aside Kylian Mbappe, George Ilenikhena is here
Monaco are celebrating their new teenage sensation, George Ilenikhena after the Nigerian striker scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
Ilenikhena's match-winner not only gave Monaco a famous victory but also saw him break a club record previously held by French star Kylian Mbappe.
Ilenikhena sinks 10-man Barcelona
The Nigerian striker’s pivotal moment came in the 71st minute, as Ilenikhena profited from a defensive error by Barcelona to score the winner for Monaco.
With the scoreline level at 1-1 and Barcelona reduced to 10 men following Eric García's red card, Ilenikhena’s sharp instincts proved decisive to give Monaco all three points in their Champions League opener.
The match saw Barcelona manager Hansi Flick suffer his first defeat in charge of the Blaugrana after the Catalan side went down to 10 men early after García was sent off for a foul on Takumi Minamino.
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Monaco opened the scoring through Maghnes Akliouche before 17-year-old Lamine Yamal equalised for Barcelona, and Ilenikhena popped up with the winning goal.
Ilenikhena smashes Mbappe's record
The goal against Barcelona marked Ilenikhena’s first goal in Europe for Monaco and made him the youngest player to score for the club in the Champions League at just 18 years and 34 days old.
In doing so, Ilenikhena broke the record previously held by Mbappe, who scored his first goal for Monaco in the competition at 18 years and 63 days against Manchester City in 2017.
Monaco wasted no time in celebrating their young talent, taking to social media to praise Ilenikhena's performance and his record-breaking achievement.
The Nigerian teenager’s goal also marked his second against Barcelona, having scored in the competition last season with Royal Antwerp in another record-breaking victory.
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