Ghanaian youngster Abdul Fatawu Issahaku made his UEFA Champions League debut on Wednesday as Sporting Lisbon lost to Olympique Marseille.
The 18-year-old has been playing for both the youth team and senior side since completing his move to Sporting earlier this year.
Issahaku has so far made three league appearances for the Portuguese club, although he is yet to start in any of his outings.
On Wednesday, the Ghanaian prodigy marked his Champions League debut after coming on in the 22nd minute against Marseille.
Sporting had been reduced to 10 men after Ricardo Esgaio was sent off early in the game after receiving two yellow cards within the space of three minutes.
Sporting manager Ruben Amorim brought on Issahakiu for Hidemasa Morita, with the teenager playing as a wing-back.
Issahaku’s introduction, however, did little to stop Marseille from taking advantage of their numerical advantage as they run out as 2-0 winners, thanks to goals from Mateo Guendouzi and Alexis Sanchez.
The 18-year-old officially joined the Portuguese club in March from Steadfast FC and trained with the youth side at the tail end of last season.
For Ghana, though, he has risen to prominence very quickly, having already earned nine caps since making his debut in 2021.
Issahaku scored his debut goal for the Black Stars during an international friendly against Nicaragua in September.
Pulse
