Who is Julio Enciso? Meet the 19-year-old Paraguayan star who scored stunning goal against Chelsea
Julio Enciso grabbed the eyeballs of the fans with his spectacular strike against Chelsea in the Seagulls' 2-1 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 15. The Paraguayan youngster netted in the 69th minute with a long-range strike to give Roberto De Zerbi's side the lead.
He used to live with his parents and grandparents, among other family members, in Caaguazu. He eventually relocated to Asuncion after a successful trial with Libertad. Enciso even realized his dream of playing alongside his idol Oscar Cardozo for Libertad. The former Benfica forward is one of the pioneers of Paraguayan football.
Julio Enciso moved to Brighton at the start of the season and has since scored one goal and has provided one assist in 15 matches for the Seagulls across competitions.
He has also represented the Paraguayan national team nine times in his career so far. The strike against Chelsea, though, is certainly the brightest moment of his young career. He scored a spectacular long-ranger to beat Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Julio Enciso's goal added to Chelsea's misery
While it was thrill for Julio Enciso and Brighton, Chelsea's agony worsened with the loss. The Blues have lost all three of their games under caretaker manager Frank Lampard.
A 1-0 loss against Wolverhampton Wanderers marked the start of Lampard's tenure. A 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals followed. Yet another 2-1 loss against Brighton must ring the alarm bells.
The situation for the Blues, however, could worsen as they take on Real Madrid next yet again in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. Given the west Londoners' current form, it's hard to foresee them fetching a positive result unless some massive improvements are made.
While the owners parted ways with Graham Potter to get the team back on track, the results under Potter show that the roots of the problems lie deeper than the individual in charge.