Marc Guiu, a former Barcelona player, attracted attention when he helped Chelsea defeat Astana in Kazakhstan and head to the Uefa Conference League knockout stage.
The Blues traveled 3,600 miles to Almaty for the match, which took place in challenging weather, with temperatures as low as -11C.
However, it did not deter Chelsea’s heavily altered lineup from scoring three goals in the first half to secure a convincing victory.
Guiu, an 18-year-old Spanish youth international, was one of several young players given the opportunity to make an impression, and he accomplished just that by scoring the first goal in the 14th minute after going on a spectacular solo run.
At halftime, Marin Tomasov’s magical moment sent the Astana supporters into a frenzy as he cut inside and smashed an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
In the second half, Chelsea managed the game instead of aiming for additional goals, and the tempo slowed.
With the victory, they maintain their lead with 15 points from five games in the Conference League’s league phase.
On December 19, they will play Shamrock Rovers, an Irish team, to wrap up this phase of the competition.
