Portuguese youngster Carlos Forbs dazzles for Club Brugge against Barcelona in 3-3 draw: “Today is a dream come true” | OneFootball

Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona

The career of Portuguese forward Carlos Forbs has taken time to ignite across recent years. Last night, the Portugal U21 international came of age in a stunning performance for Club Brugge against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Forbs, who was born in Sintra and was in Sporting’s academy, moved to England as a child before joining Manchester City. An unsuccessful spell with Ajax was followed by an uneventful loan with Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Forbs’ move to Belgium with Club Brugge in the summer has given him the platform to begin delivering on his potential.

Now 21, his talent has never been in question. Forbs was named Man City’s under-18 Player of the Season at the age of 17 in May 2011. Two years later, he was named Premier League 2 Player of the Season, after helping City retain their title. City opted to cash in on their young talent and Forbs joined Dutch giants Ajax for a fee of €14m rising to €19m.

Across the following two years, Forbs struggled to make much headway in the Netherlands and then during his loan at Wolves. But signs were promising early this campaign when his goal helped Brugge overcome Salzburg in the Champions League qualifiers in August, just a month after moving to Bruges in an €8m deal.

Breakthrough moment against Barca

On Wednesday, Forbs enjoyed surely the best night of his young career so far, scoring twice and getting an assist in Club Brugge’s 3-3 draw with Barcelona at the Jan Breydel Stadium. Three times the hosts took the lead, only for Barca to level on each occasion, in what was an action-packed encounter during which Brugge had a penalty and a late goal ruled out by VAR.

Forbs assisted the first goal for Nicolo Tresoldi in the 6th minute with a smart run in behind the high Barcelona defence down the right channel, latching onto a throughball and squaring for his teammate to slot home. The lead lasted less than a minute, with Ferran Torres equalising for the Liga side immediately.

Barca insisted on persisting with their dangerously high line and Forbs persisted in exploiting it. On 17 minutes, a rapid counter attack resulted in Forbs again being played through in the right channel, where he finished precisely with his left foot. Brugge carried the 2-1 advantage into the second half, but the scores were tied up again when Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal levelled with a brilliant prodded finish following a one-two with Fermin Lopez.

Forbs continued to get chances, blazing over the bar when well-placed immediately after Yamal’s equaliser. However, he was gifted another opportunity just moments later and made no mistake, clipping his finish past Wojciech Szczesny to make it 3-2 after again being gifted time and space just after the hour.

Brugge held their 3-2 lead heading into the final 15 minutes, but were struck by a piece of bad luck when Yamal’s cross was diverted into his own net by Christos Tzolis. There were no further goals, although the evening did not end quietly: Forbs was issued a penalty, overturned by VAR, while Romeo Vermant’s stoppage-time winner was also chalked off due to a foul on Szczesny.

Forbs delighted; teammates lavish praise

"Today is a dream come true,” Forbs said after being issued the Player of the Match award. “As a kid, you dream of playing in the Champions League, of playing against the biggest teams in the world, and I’m glad I was able to show this performance today. My speed is a gift, and I’m happy that I can use it in my game."

Brugge boss Nicky Hayen commented: “Forbs was impressive: he's someone with a lot of speed, depth, and strong individual play. He showed his qualities again today."

His teammates were full of praise for the Portuguese during the post-match media duties, with captain Hans Vanaken saying: "With a weapon like Forbs, who performed perfectly today, we created many opportunities.” Aleksandar Stanković added: "Carlos Forbs was truly outstanding today, with two goals and an assist. But I think you can't forget the performance of the rest of the team either.

Defender Brandon Mechele, who has played over 500 games for the club, said: "We are happy with that one point. Yes, Carlos Forbs was very important for us tonight. Two goals, an assist, and possibly another penalty—that's something to be proud of.

“You know that with his speed, he can pose a real threat in the back of the defense, and Barcelona learned that firsthand tonight."