"My first game and an assist straight away - I would never have thought that"

When Giorgio Contini announces his starting line-up for the home game against Lugano, one name stands out: Olivier Mambwa. Never heard of him? No wonder. The 16-year-old left-back has only made five appearances in the YB Under-21s in the Promotion League and celebrated his Super League debut against the Ticino side.

There is a simple reason for his nomination to the starting eleven. The real regular, Jaouen Hadjam, is being linked with a move abroad. Accordingly, the Algerian had to take his place on the bench.

So was Mambwa just an emergency solution? Not at all! The 16-year-old plays cheekily forward and is not afraid to go one-on-one with his direct opponent. He demonstrated this impressively in the 48th minute.

With a quick turn, he allows Ousmane Doumbia to run into space on the left and delivers a pinpoint cross onto the head of Christian Fassnacht. The 31-year-old immediately runs to Mambwa because he knows who he has to thank for this goal.

"Could hardly believe it"

"My first game and I scored an assist straight away - I never thought that would happen," says an overjoyed Olivier Mambwa in an interview with blue Sport. "If someone had told me I'd be making my debut at 16, I would never have believed it."

Despite all the euphoria, the young full-back immediately puts the brakes on: "Now I want to keep working and keep my feet on the ground."

The starting eleven nomination surprised him and he was also a little nervous. "I came into the stadium and he (Giorgio Contini, editor's note) asked me if I was ready to play. I could hardly believe it." Once the game started, the nervousness subsided.

Will Mambwa soon receive a little present from goalscorer Christian Fassnacht? "Maybe there'll be something in his locker after the international break or I'll invite him for lunch. That would certainly be a nice gesture," the 31-year-old told blue Sport.

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