Oscar dos Santos v/s Juventus

Chelsea‘s 21-year-old starlet put in a man of the match performance against Juventus. No, it wasn’t Eden Hazard; it was Oscar, Chelsea’s other 21-year-old playmaker. There were plenty of stars in the midfield on Wednesday, but Oscar shone the brightest. He was employed in a more central role, with Hazard shifting out toward the wing to make way for the Brazilian.

And Oscar did not disappoint. The youngster was in charge of keeping up with Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio, and he looked just fine. Oscar played a complete game, but he will remember it for putting both of his shots into the back of the net. His first goal came in the 31st minute on an ambitious look from about 25 yards out. It didn’t look too dangerous, until it deflected off a Juventus defender and looped over a helpless Gigi Buffon. It was Oscar’s first goal in a Chelsea shirt, and it was a great way to get off the mark.

But the Brazilian wasn’t done yet. In fact, his greatest moment would come two minutes later. After a quick turn, Oscar sent the ball into the top corner, doubling Chelsea’s lead.

Although the fireworks were a little subdued after that, Oscar simply couldn’t have played better. Despite his small stature and inexperience, he was the best player for Chelsea on the night.

Oscar is expected to do big things, and in his first start for Chelsea, he did just about everything to live up to those expectations. Although his night was highlighted by two moments, the Brazilian did play well otherwise.

He completed 90 percent of his passes, which was fourth-best on the team. Given his attacking position, it’s impressive that he was so proficient with such high pressure from the Italians. On the other side of the ball, Oscar made two successful tackles, springing the attack each time.

Oscar will be a great asset for the Blues. Great goals come and go, just about any top-tier player can have a great moment or two. His contributions throughout the game were much more impressive. After such a great performance, it’s clear that Oscar is already capable of taking over a match, despite his youth.

His goals were sensational, but his contributions throughout the game are the most important takeaway because they are the reasons he has an argument to be in the starting XI.