Q&A

“A little voice in my head said just go for it”

Matchwinner Jordy Siebatcheu on a Champions League debut that he and Youngs Boys fans will never forget

INTERVIEW Ian Holyman
Issue 09

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

“There was a second when I didn't hear anything. I was behind the ball and as soon as the ball hit the net, everything came back to me: my ears started hearing again and then I heard everyone shouting and everyone running. It was a great experience.

“The fans supported us from start to finish. They have always been there, even during the tough part of last year with Covid. For all of our away games they were there, waiting to encourage us in front of the team bus, and that support is the first thing that I was told about when I came here. This club really is like one big family and you can see that now. We might not have any big stars or big players, but we have a team, and we’ve shown that we’re a family. The team is out on the pitch and the family is in the stands, supporting us.

“I CALLED MY MUM FIRST. I CALLED HER STRAIGHT AWAY, BUT SHE WAS SO HAPPY THAT I COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS”


“In the dressing room there was shouting, joy, music… It was about making the most of that moment. My phone was going crazy. Even my social media apps weren’t working for a little while. I couldn’t go on them anymore and I was trying to reply to people.

“I called my mum first. I called her straight away, but she was so happy that I couldn’t get a word in edgeways. Then there’s that little moment when you’re sitting at home and thinking, ‘Man, I’ve scored against Manchester United and my team won.’ It’s great.

“You can see that your loved ones are proud of you because they’re there, both when things aren’t going well and when they are, and you can see that all the people who know you are proud too. That’s when you realise what great players go through every day. It makes you want to experience those moments as much as possible.”

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

Q&A

“A little voice in my head said just go for it”

Matchwinner Jordy Siebatcheu on a Champions League debut that he and Youngs Boys fans will never forget

INTERVIEW Ian Holyman

Text Link

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

Read the full story
Sign up now to get access to this and every premium feature on Champions Journal. You will also get access to member-only competitions and offers. And you get all of that completely free!

“There was a second when I didn't hear anything. I was behind the ball and as soon as the ball hit the net, everything came back to me: my ears started hearing again and then I heard everyone shouting and everyone running. It was a great experience.

“The fans supported us from start to finish. They have always been there, even during the tough part of last year with Covid. For all of our away games they were there, waiting to encourage us in front of the team bus, and that support is the first thing that I was told about when I came here. This club really is like one big family and you can see that now. We might not have any big stars or big players, but we have a team, and we’ve shown that we’re a family. The team is out on the pitch and the family is in the stands, supporting us.

“I CALLED MY MUM FIRST. I CALLED HER STRAIGHT AWAY, BUT SHE WAS SO HAPPY THAT I COULDN'T GET A WORD IN EDGEWAYS”


“In the dressing room there was shouting, joy, music… It was about making the most of that moment. My phone was going crazy. Even my social media apps weren’t working for a little while. I couldn’t go on them anymore and I was trying to reply to people.

“I called my mum first. I called her straight away, but she was so happy that I couldn’t get a word in edgeways. Then there’s that little moment when you’re sitting at home and thinking, ‘Man, I’ve scored against Manchester United and my team won.’ It’s great.

“You can see that your loved ones are proud of you because they’re there, both when things aren’t going well and when they are, and you can see that all the people who know you are proud too. That’s when you realise what great players go through every day. It makes you want to experience those moments as much as possible.”

Ever wondered what it’s like to score a winning goal on your Champions League debut, in the final minute, after just coming on as a substitute, against Manchester United – and upstage Cristiano Ronaldo in the process? Step forward Jordy Siebatcheu. The 25-year-old Young Boys striker did just that on Matchday 1, latching on to Jesse Lingard’s misplaced backpass then firing low beyond David de Gea. Cue wild celebrations and a place in the fabled Swiss club’s illustrious history. We’ll let the USA international take it from here…

“I received a lot of messages telling me I should thank Jesse Lingard for the goal. I saw that he hesitated a little, that he wanted to put it in there first time, so I stood and anticipated the pass. But it was really just instinct, a little voice in my head that told me to just go for it.

“When I anticipated Lingard’s pass, there was a thousandth of a second where I thought, ‘Wow’, and all of a sudden my mind went blank. It was racing. You have to concentrate quickly and keep your cool. At the beginning I wanted to put it on my right, but I saw De Gea shifting, and that’s why my shot moved. It’s because I changed at the last moment. In my mind, the ball took ten years to go in the goal. When I saw it hit the net, there was an explosion of emotions.

“You could see the bench, the supporters, everyone. There’s even this image where, even before I had shot, there were team-mates running. I said to them, ‘If I had missed, what would you have done? Would you have turned back?’

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