The battle for top spot in UEFA Europa League Group C started at dawn on Thursday (30) at Real Madrid's home ground, with a thrilling 4-2 draw that saw Real Madrid turn back Napoli to secure top spot in the group and advance to the Round of 16. Two Argentine "afterthoughts" were on display in the match, with 19-year-old starlet Nicolás Nicolás scoring his first goal for Real Madrid and unexpectedly becoming a key player in the turnaround.
Napoli broke the deadlock in the 9th minute of the match with a goal from Kiovanni Szemonyi, but Real Madrid responded quickly with goals from Lodi Gossi and Zudibinenham to take the lead. After the break, Napoli equalized in just two minutes with a goal from Sam Bengkosa. The two sides then engaged in a tug-of-war, and in the 84th minute of the match, Nicolás broke the deadlock with a brilliant shot from outside the penalty area after a clever turn. In stoppage time, Zusano added a second goal to make it 4-2.
Nicolás is a proud member of Real Madrid's youth academy, as his father, Pablo Pérez, was an Argentine international who played alongside Szémonyi (father of Giovanni Szémonyi) in the '98 FIFA World Cup. The goal was Nicolás's first since being promoted to the first team, and at 19 years and 82 days old, he became the second youngest Argentine goal scorer in the UEFA Europa League after Mes.
