Published: 11:34, 21 Sep 2023
Red Bull Salzburg broke a Champions League record on Wednesday evening. The Austrians fielded the youngest starting eleven ever in a CL match against Benfica.
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While visiting Benfica, RB Salzburg played with only two players older than 22 years. Three teenagers were in the starting lineup, along with three players who were twenty years old. In total, Salzburg's starting team was 21 years and 183 days old. During the match, coach Gerhard Struber also introduced three players who were 23 years old, one player aged 21, and another aged 20.
It was the youngest starting team ever in a Champions League match. They took over this record from Arsenal, which in the 2009/10 season fielded a team with an average age of 21 years and 219 days. The Gunners, at that time, played with the 17-year-old Jack Wilshere, the 18-year-old Aaron Ramsey, and the 20-year-olds Carlos Vela and Theo Walcott.
Arsenal, however, lost that match to Olympiakos 1-0. But as Salzburg proved on Wednesday, you can indeed win in the Champions League with such a young team. The Austrian champions defeated Roger Schmidt's Benfica 2-0, with goals from Roko Simic and Oscar Gloukh.
