“I spoke to Saka before the match to sought for his blessings and he didn’t ….”- Arsenal matchwinner Ethan Nwaneri admitted he relished the whole occasion after putting on a MOTM performance in the presence of Bukayo Saka
“I spoke to Saka before the match to sought for his blessings and he didn’t ….”- Arsenal matchwinner Ethan Nwaneri admitted he relished the whole occasion after putting on a MOTM performance in the presence of Bukayo Saka
Nwaneri on dream night against Girona
Having put in a man-of-the-match display on his first-ever Champions League start, Ethan Nwaneri admitted he relished the whole occasion.
The 17-year-old put in a superb display in Girona and capped his performance with a stunning strike that left the home goalkeeper with no chance as it whistled into the net to register a fourth-straight win in the competition.
And he admitted that having been watching European matches on TV not that long ago, standing in our line-up and listening to the iconic Champions League theme was a surreal moment, but one he relished.
On his dream night, he said: “It’s one of the highest definitely because it’s the Champions League, it’s what I’ve loved and watched since I was young. So to come here and win Man of the Match on my starting debut, It’s a special feeling. I’m happy.
“Listening to the music was surreal, that’s the moment I’ve lived for my whole life. The music was special to me, so that was great. It’s crazy, life moves fast. But I’m happy to be here. This is where I’ve always wanted to be, so I’m grateful that I’m here.”
Ethan’s goal secured us third place in the table, and took our total to six wins from eight matches. With the goal at the start being a top-eight place, he admits finishing so high in the table is something the squad will be proud of, and he can’t wait for the actionn to get back underway when we face either Juventus, AC Milan, Feyenoord or PSV Eindhoven in March.
Reflecting on tonight’s win, he added: “I think the team played very well. We dug in until the last minute and I was happy to have contributed with the goal. It was just all instinct, I just saw the space. I just sensed that the goalkeeper wouldn’t expect the shot, so I took it and scored.
“It was hard getting through in the Champions League, so I’m proud of the team. Obviously you’d like to finish first, but I think third’s very good.
“The knockout stages is where it starts to get really interesting so I think this team will do well and go far definitely.”
