Barcelona had Lionel Messi and Gerrard Pique on the substitutes' bench as Villarreal and Barcelona played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at the Estadio Ceramica on Tuesday night with Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze scoring and providing an assist as he earned a lots of praise from football fans all around the world.
In the seventh minute, Chukwueze latched onto a loose ball from Samuel Umtiti but Andre de Stergen batted away his low shot from close range.
Sergio Roberto found Malcolm who squared the ball into the Villarreal box where Philippe Coutinho was present to poke home. The VAR had to confirm that Malcolm was not in an offside position when he provided the assist.
The Brazilian made it 2-0 from a header inside 15 minutes but Coutinho's smart dink three minutes later came off the post.
Chukwueze reduced the deficit for the Yellow Submarines with an exquisite finish in the 23rd minute. The Nigerian was at the end of a Santi Cazorla pass after Vicente Iborra set the move in motion with a deceptive back heel. Toko Ekambi scored the hosts' third goal, pouncing on Chukwueze's assist with a sliced cross which deceived Ter Stegen.
Three goals became four when Carlos Bacca rounded up Ter Stegen after he ran up to reach a long pass from Nuno Mori. Alvaro Gonzalez was red carded for a foul on Luis Suarez with about five minutes left on the clock with Chukwueze replaced. Messi showed class with a sumptuous free kick in the 90th minute to make it 4-3 and Suarez completed the eight-goal thriller with a rasping shot before full time.
After the game, Chukwueze reacted to winning Nigeria Young Player of the Year award a day before the match, saying it will serve as a motivation for him. The 19-year-old beat off competition from Galatasaray forward Onyekuru and on-loan Wolfsburg striker Osimhen to claim the individual prize.
The winger has been impressive this season for Spanish La Liga side Villarreal, scoring seven goals in all competitions, including his well-taken strike against Barcelona on Tuesday evening.
The forward beat off challenges from Galatasaray’s winger Henry Onyekuru and Sporting Charleroi striker Victor Osimhen to claim the accolade.
"It serves as a motivation to keep working hard for more success," Chukwueze told BBC Sport. "I'm very motivated and inspired by this, because it is unbelievable. Everything happening still seems like a dream.
"I have dreams of playing for my country in big tournaments and this shows that if I put more effort into my career, personal and team rewards will follow. "This award is going to impact me positively to grow in the right pace so that I can keep having good performances.
"I thank the staff and my teammates at Villarreal, not forgetting everyone in Spain and Nigeria who have given me a chance to grow and play football. "My focus is to keep helping my club, continue to work hard to represent my country hopefully at the Nations Cup in Egypt and the Olympics."
Chukwueze who has made 19 league appearances this season will hope to play key part as Villarreal continue their relegation battle when they visit Real Betis on Sunday.
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