Diego Callai and Dário Essugo go through to the Youth League quarter-finals
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Sporting CP with Promoesport's Diego Callai and Dário Essugo continue to surprise in the UEFA Youth League and reach the quarter-finals. The Lisbonians, who already won in the group stage against renowned teams such as Borussia Dortmund or Ajax, have now done it again against Dynamo Kyiv.
Goalkeeper Diego Callai was in the starting line-up and had a magnificent game, as did his team-mate Dário Essugo, who was also the architect of an assist that put the tie on track. Both promising youngsters have been performing at an exceptional level for some time now and, despite still being at the youth level, are in the first team dynamic.
The match will go down in history due to the political and social context as the first match played by a Ukrainian team after the Russian invasion on 24 February. Given the circumstances of the war, the match was played in Bucharest and was very emotional. A minute's silence was declared in honour of the victims and the players took to the field with Ukrainian flags and the slogan "No to war". After the match, both Callai and Essugo wanted to approach their opponents to personally express their solidarity and show their support.
With these young talents facing Benfica in the quarter-finals, a highly intense derby is expected to decide which side will reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League.
Goalkeeper Diego Callai was in the starting line-up and had a magnificent game, as did his team-mate Dário Essugo, who was also the architect of an assist that put the tie on track. Both promising youngsters have been performing at an exceptional level for some time now and, despite still being at the youth level, are in the first team dynamic.
The match will go down in history due to the political and social context as the first match played by a Ukrainian team after the Russian invasion on 24 February. Given the circumstances of the war, the match was played in Bucharest and was very emotional. A minute's silence was declared in honour of the victims and the players took to the field with Ukrainian flags and the slogan "No to war". After the match, both Callai and Essugo wanted to approach their opponents to personally express their solidarity and show their support.
With these young talents facing Benfica in the quarter-finals, a highly intense derby is expected to decide which side will reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League.
