Rising star Chemsdine Talbi impresses again for Brugge in Champions League

BERGAMO, Italy (AP) - Chemsdine Talbi had dazzled observers last week with his tremendous dribbles, precise crosses and strong ability to win both attacking duels and recover the ball in defense.

In addition, the Belgian-Moroccan player had delivered an assist to Ferran Jutglà in a man-of-the-match performance that helped Brugge to a 2-1 win over Atalanta in the first leg of their Champions League playoff.

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder did it again Tuesday in Bergamo.

This time, he turned from provider to scorer - twice.

Talbi broke the deadlock in Brugge’s first attack, putting the Belgian side ahead after only three minutes.

He was at the conclusion of a fast move after Hans Vanaken found Jutglà, who passed the ball to Talbi to his right inside the box for his teammate to slot the ball into the back of the net at the far corner.

That was just the beginning of his show of class.

Talbi doubled his team’s lead on the evening in the 27th minute after another slick move with a shot from the rebound following goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi’s reflex save. Jutglà then made it 3-0 with a powerful strike just before halftime. It gave Brugge a 5-1 lead on aggregate, in strong position to reach the last 16 of the tournament.

A fast player with great technique, Talbi grew up in Molenbeek and was trained in Tubize-Braine before he joined Brugge in 2015. He made his debut with the U23 squad three years ago before joining the first team in 2023. This season, he scored five goals and delivered two assists for Brugge in the Belgian league.