The Arsenal u19s handed out two academy debuts in Wednesday’s match against Napoli, but it was 14-year-old Luis Munoz’s world-class finish that stole the headlines.
The big news ahead of the Arsenal u19s’ UEFA Youth League opener against Napoli was that new signing Axel Donczew was in the starting lineup, with fellow summer addition Igor Tyjon on the bench.
Donczew was making his debut, and when Tyjon came on in the second half, he was also making his first appearance in an Arsenal shirt.
Yet it was a more familiar name opening the scoring in the 28th minute, as Andre Harriman-Annous tapped home from close range for 1-0.
Arsenal only managed one Youth League win in 2025/26, and they were always going to be made to work for three points away in Naples. In the 57th minute, Milton Pereyra scored a first-team finish for 1-1.
But new signing Tyjon was putting in an impressive display, creating a couple of good opportunities for his teammates, including setting up Maalik Hashi to hit the bar.
That work eventually paid off, as Tyjon found Luis Munoz in the 94th minute, and the 14-year-old scored a fantastic goal to win the match.
In doing so, Munoz became the second-youngest scorer in UEFA Youth League history. Only fellow Gunner Max Dowman was younger when he scored his first Youth League goal, and even that was only by a matter of a few days.
Manager David Horseman was certainly impressed with the manner of the finish, saying: “The finish is just world class.
“On any stage, that’s a goal that’s fit to win any game. But we know that we’re not just giving people token games. We brought a squad that we thought could win the game, and he was part of it. He come on and had the decisive moment.
“But it is a world class goal, and I don’t use that word lightly; that’s for sure.”
As the Youth League mirrors the Champions League for the first six matchdays, the u19s will next be in action at home to Lille on Tuesday, October 13th.
Arsenal lineup vs Napoli
Porter, Ogunnaike, Clarke, Upson, Hamill, Julienne, Ibrahim, Hashi, Nwaneri, Harriman-Annous, Donczew
Substitutes
Tyjon (for Donczew, 46), Sampang (for Hamill, 46), Murisa (for Ibrahim, 67), Mbala (for Julienne, 77), Munoz (for Hashi, 77), Talbot, O’Neill, Maghoma, Abubakar
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