Chávez & Co: From U13s to first senior goal

A fine lay-off with the backheel, then the well-timed sprint towards goal and finally the decisive touch in the six-yard box. In the 75th minute of the friendly between FC Bayern and RB Salzburg (5-0), everything came together for Felipe Chávez. The Peruvian international featured for the first team in a friendly for the second time yesterday and adapted to an unfamiliar role up front with ease.

Intuitive and quick-thinking

A half-time substitute, the 18-year-old didn’t need much time to get up to speed. Having narrowly missed the target with a rebound on 64 minutes, the Bayern reserves’ playmaker showed all his quality shortly after, playing a fine through ball into the penalty area to Lennart Karl, who slotted it into the far corner. “I don’t deliberate in those moments,” explained “Pippo” after his first goal involvement. “I play intuitively and do the first thing that comes into my head.”

Minutes later, the two youngsters swapped roles. Again Chávez initiated the move, and via Luis Díaz and Karl the ball came back to him and he forced it over the line – his maiden goal for the first team. “It’s tremendous fun being on the pitch with the guys. Everyone is operating at a top level,” praised the attacker, who’s been training regularly under head coach Vincent Kompany for several months now. The adjustment was challenging but it helped him enormously. Day after day, Chávez, who otherwise plays for the regional league team, feels the support of the coaching team and his teammates.

‘An honour to play for this club’

Chávez wasn’t the only academy product on the pitch in Austria – something that made it a special match for all involved. “I’ve known some of the boys since the U13s. The fact we’ve been on this path together and now get to play in stadiums like this is something very special. It’s a great honour to play for this club,” stressed the 18-year-old.

As well as Chávez, three youth players who’ve already had a taste of the Bundesliga featured in Wisdom Mike, Cassiano Kiala and David Santos Santos, while Deniz Ofli, Guido Della Rovere and Maycon Cardozo made their debut under Kompany. The group of youngsters was completed by reserves midfielder Javier Fernández, who missed almost the whole of last year with a knee injury and now made his second first-team outing. “I’ve got a difficult year behind me,” said the Spaniard. “To be able to make my comeback for the reserves in December and now get another first-team appearance gives me a good feeling for the months ahead.”

So, there was more than a clear result on the scoreboard at the end of this friendly. It was the start of a new year which could not have gone better for Chávez and all the young players involved.

The analysis of the friendly at Salzburg: