Arsenal full-back Hector Bellerin says he was surprised to be included in the regular eleven that started against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
With Mathieu Debuchy ruled out for months and Calum Chambers not match fit, the 19-year-old was given a rare start by manager Arsene Wenger.
And with Borussia Dortmund getting off the blocks with a very high tempo, the youngster admits the Gunners were caught by surprise.
"They came with so much tempo at the start with their quick players up front," Bellerin told Arsenal Player.
"We tried to start the game with the same tempo as them but we couldn't, and that's something we need to work on for our next game.
"But it was a dream come true for me tonight. It's always your dream as a kid to make your debut in the Champions League.
"On the other hand, I'm gutted and we've just got to work harder in the next game.
"I knew there was a chance [of starting] during the week with the injury of Mathieu [Debuchy] and I found out at training before the game that Calum [Chambers] was feeling a bit ill, so I knew there was a chance.
"I never thought at that moment that I could make my debut here, but when they told me [on Tuesday] afternoon I was really happy.
"It is what you are waiting for since when you're a kid and you're just playing in the playground. I'm just really happy to get it out of the way, to make my debut on a night like this is good for me."
If reports are confirmed that regular full-back Debuchy will be out for two months, Bellerin could feature regularly for the Gunners and the youngster is ready to fill the void.
"[Playing first-team football] is what I want to be doing every weekend.
"It's good to get minutes with the under-21s but what you're here for is to play games with the first team.
"It was a really hard game but I'm glad I got to play here and hopefully there's many more games to come."
