Rafael Leao posts reaction to Nuno Tavares goal in Marseille win

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Rafael Leao joined a number of Arsenal fans in expressing his delight on social media in reaction to Nuno Tavares scoring a superb goal for Marseille on his debut on Sunday.

The Ligue 1 clash with Reims at Stade Velodrome proved to be a significant one for Gunners supporters. Not only was Tavares on show for the first time, but there was also a debut for Folarin Balogun on the opposite side.

Balogun would come off the bench to hand his side a late lifeline. But it was not the best goal scored by an Arsenal-owned player in that particular game.

That honour went to Tavares who doubled Marseille’s lead. The 22-year-old was found down the left flank. Rather than head further towards the line, Tavares cut inside and ran all the way to the edge of the box.

The Portuguese then found the bottom corner with a brilliant strike with his right foot. It was certainly a reminder of the quality and potential Tavares does have.

And amongst those to laud the wing-back was Leao. The pair have played together for Portugal’s under-21s. And they spent time together in the Sporting academy before Tavares departed in 2013.

And the striker was full of praise for the starlet…

Leao posts reaction to Tavares goal

It is particularly notable that Leao has lauded Tavares. Reports in February claimed that Arsenal were very keen on the AC Milan star.

Of course, he knows Tavares. So it is not a huge surprise that he has been keeping an eye on his performance.

For Arsenal, it is a hugely encouraging start. There was no doubt about Tavares’ talent last season. But it did seem that he was not quite ready for the Gunners.

So it will be particularly pleasing to see him get off to a flyer.