Finally, Chelsea loanee ends two-month nightmare with Champions League debut
When Jesse Derry joined Sporting Lisbon, there was plenty of hype for the Chelsea wonderkid. Especially after Derry was handed Cristiano Ronaldo’s old no.28 shirt after completing a loan move.
Derry made his Chelsea debut last season and even started a Premier League game for the Blues, though it ended prematurely due to a head injury, as Calum McFarlane failed to prevent a Nottingham Forest win.
In pre-season, things looked positive. Derry impressed in wins against Celtic and Clearlake’s other club, Strasbourg, with Sporting Lisbon winning 7-0. He even scored in a 2-0 summer win against Monaco.
Great start has turned to utter frustration for Jesse Derry
Derry came on as sub in Sporting’s first two competitive fixtures of the season, and there was a belief that the England U20 star would soon start. However, he would play just four minutes in the next six games.
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Even after a goal and an assist in England U20’s 3-1 win over Italy during the break, Derry returned to Sporting as an unused sub in a 3-1 away win over Braga. But on Tuesday, finally, Derry got some minutes.
Shaun Derry’s son got 17 minutes on Tuesday night as Sporting beat French side Lens away from home in the Champions League. It was Derry’s Champions League debut, after remaining unused at Galatasaray.
Derry entered the fray on 73 minutes for Sporting as the Portuguese side cruised to a 2-0 win away from home. Having come on with the scoreline reading 1-0, Derry played a key role in Sporting’s second goal.
The Chelsea talent managed to evade two Lens players before slipping the ball into Silas Andersen, who found Italian star Issa Doumbia to score. Portuguese outlet A Bola praised Derry, giving him a 6/10.
“A game-changer on his first touch, giving Andersen the opportunity to set up Doumbia for 2-0. There’s promise in that tight play,” A Bola reported, with Derry clearly catching the eye and creating a goal.
Sporting are not in action this weekend, giving the Portuguese side a whole week to recover before they face Austrian side LASK. Derry will be hoping he can make only his fifth appearance for Sporting Lisbon.
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