Real Madrid Star Yan Diomande Breaks Obafemi Martins’ 23-Year-Old Champions League Record
- Yan Diomande scored a stunning volley for Real Madrid in their 4-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday, October 21
- The Ivorian winger also provided an assist, prompting Opta to flag a record linked to former Super Eagles striker Obafemi Martins
- Diomande spoke after the match about his spectacular goal and what it felt like to face his former Leipzig teammates
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Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, October 21, with Yan Diomande delivering a performance that rewrote African football history in the competition.
Diomande, who joined Real Madrid from Leipzig for €125 million last summer, came off the bench and both set up a goal and scored one of the night's finest efforts against his former club.
Source: Getty Images
According to Opta, the winger became the youngest African player to score and assist in a single UEFA Champions League match since Obafemi Martins did so for Internazionale (Inter Milan) against Arsenal back in September 2003, a record that had stood for 23 years.
Real Madrid cruise past RB Leipzig
The match was tight in the early stages, with Thibaut Courtois required to produce a sharp save to deny Romulo Cardoso.
Real Madrid broke the deadlock before half-time when Bernardo Silva converted after goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt had stopped an Arda Güler shot on the line.
According to GOAL, José Mourinho's side doubled their lead shortly after the restart as Kylian Mbappé headed the ball across the goalmouth, and Güler tapped in from close range.
Mbappé then got his name on the scoresheet with a magnificent strike from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, with Diomande providing the assist.
Leipzig pulled one back through Tidiam Gomis, but Diomande had the final say.
The 20-year-old controlled a difficult ball and opted instinctively for a volley rather than bringing it down, sending it into the net to make it 4-1. It was comfortably the most eye-catching finish of the evening.
Diomande speaks on his goal and Leipzig return
After the final whistle, Diomande reflected on the record-breaking display and the unusual experience of facing the club he left just months earlier, Yahoo Sport reports.
"It's always important to win. That is our goal, and we achieved it tonight," he said.
On his volley, Diomande said:
"My goal wasn't easy to score, of course, but it's nice to look at. It went well for me. I had to decide whether to control the ball or take my chances with a volley. I'm glad the volley worked out like that."
He also spoke warmly about lining up against familiar faces.
"It wasn't weird to play against my former teammates. It was fun, actually. Everybody was nice to me. I was the youngest when I was there, and it was really nice to see them again tonight."
Real Madrid now have nine points from three Champions League group matches, while Leipzig remain on three points following their win over PSV last week.
Updated Ballon d'Or rankings after Mbappe's goal
In another development, Legit.ng reported about Mbappe reaching 100 Champions League appearances and scoring in Real Madrid’s 4-3 win over Roma.
His 72 goals put him fifth on the competition’s all-time scoring list, but the 2026 Ballon d’Or race comes with a twist: his performances after the World Cup will not count.
Source: Legit.ng
