SINGAPORE - He had planned to play it cool, but after scoring for the first time in the Singapore Premier League (SPL) last weekend, Geylang International's teenage striker Vasileios Zikos Chua could not contain himself.
He wheeled away from goal at full speed, arms outstretched, and screamed at the top of his lungs, in an expression of pure joy not too dissimilar to former Italy striker Marco Tardelli's iconic manic celebration at the 1982 World Cup.
Vasileios, who turned 17 the day after scoring in Geylang's 1-0 win over Young Lions, became the third-youngest player to score in Singapore's 24-year-old professional football league, and its youngest match-winner.
Hariss Harun (16 years, 174 days) is the youngest scorer in the league when he netted against SAFFC in 2007, while Fareez Farhan (16 years, 331 days) is the next-youngest when he scored in 2011.
"I had a few things in mind (for the celebration), and usually I'll just jump and pump my fist in the air.
"But after I scored, I just lost control of the situation," the youngster sheepishly told The Straits Times, ahead of Geylang's game against Hougang United on Saturday (April 20).
Born to a Singaporean father and a Greek mother, Chua grew up in Kastoria, northern Greece, and moved to Singapore when he was 10.
His given name, Vasileios, means "King" in Greek, but is a mouthful for Singaporean tongues, and so his teammates and coaches call him "Bill", a shorter, direct translation.
Chua acknowledges he is still learning to juggle his professional football ambitions with his studies - he is a first-year student at Nanyang Junior College - but adds that milestones, like his maiden strike, give him the motivation to keep going in both.
"It was an extremely special moment, and it meant a lot to me," he said.
"Growing up and wanting to be a professional, it's a huge landmark to get your first goal. It was a dream come true.
"All I want to do now is give 100 per cent in all the games I play, and make sure I'm not content with what I have now; I have to keep improving and working hard."
Geylang coach Noor Ali, who coached Vasileios at Tanjong Katong Secondary School for four years, said: "Bill is a smart boy. As a coach, I'm proud to see a young player who can balance his studies and football, because I think that comes only with the right attitude.
"But he has just turned 17, and football-wise, he still has a long way to go."
Noor is hoping his side can continue their good form with a third win on the trot but noted Hougang, who are one spot above fourth-placed Geylang on the SPL table, are no pushovers.
It is perhaps a testament to the improvement of both teams - who occupied the bottom two spots last season - that a win for either on Saturday would propel them up to second in the league for at least 24 hours.
"We'll go out and play our normal game, but we also know Hougang have good quality and depth in their squad, and we have to keep an eye out for two or three players," said Noor.
"Both teams want to do well and move up the table, so I'm expecting a tough game."
Sergio Aguero's hat-trick led Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday and back into second place in the Premier League, two points behind leaders Liverpool. The victory put the pressure on Liverpool ahead off their trip to West Ham United on Monday.
Aguero hat-trick fires Man City to 3-1 win over Arsenal
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has vowed that his team will attack Valencia in the second leg semi-final clash as they bid to reach the Europa League final. The Gunners travel to Spain next week for the second leg after winning the first leg 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
Arsenal, Chelsea in strong positions in Europa League semis
Football: Sevilla put pressure on Spanish La Liga leaders Barcelona by drawing level with 2-0 win over Girona
Valencia thrash Sevilla to keep pressure on Barcelona in La
footballnations.net/spain/la-liga/valencia-thrash-sevilla-to-keep-pressure-on-barcelona-in-la-liga/
Valencia striker Simone Zaza celebrates goal in win over Sevilla. Valencia moved up to within a point of leaders Barcelona in La Liga with a 4-0 thrashing of Sevilla at the Mestalla. Striker Simone Zaza scored his seventh goal in his last five league games to send Los Che four points above Real Madrid, ahead of their match on Sunday.
Villarreal vs. Real Madrid - Football Match Report - January
May 05, 2019 · Chelsea put a distracted first half behind them to climb into third place in the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Watford at Stamford Bridge Chelsea move into third place with victory over
Chelsea secures top-4 spot after beating Watford 3-0 in EPL
Football: Mauricio Pochettino plans to ruin old pal Pep
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian captain Thiago Silva has been granted French citizenship, he announced on Twitter on Friday. Thiago SIlva and wife The 34-year-old's decision means PSG have an
PSG captain Thiago Silva receives French citizenship
Elliot May, 14, has this message on the placard he has been holding up for close to three hours as he ambles round the city centre in Madrid. This wasn't how the young Liverpool fan pictured the Champions League final when he and his father, Teddy, floated the idea of a trip to Spain. Teddy, though, is upbeat.
Football: Solskjaer maintains perfect start as Man United
Karim Benzema scored his sixth goal in four games as Real Madrid beat Alaves 3-0 on Sunday for a fourth successive La Liga victory. The win took the European champions to within eight points of
Confident Real stroll to fourth straight win | This is Money
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says team have 'hell of a lot of work to do' Facebook; League but said his team had work to do. them reformed in the bottom tier of Scottish football in 2012.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says team have 'hell of a lot of
tv5.espn.com/football/rangers/story/3568985/rangers-boss-steven-gerrard-says-team-have-hell-of-a-lot-of-work-to-do
"I am pleased with the one side of the game, but there is certainly a hell of a lot of work to do on the other." The 38-year-old former Liverpool great singled out new centre-backs Connor Goldson and Nikola Katic, as well as returning goalkeeper Allan McGregor, for praise after the match at the Philip II Arena in the Macedonian capital.
Southgate: 'We have a hell of a lot of work to do' - Football365
The time off comes before Emery starts to prepare his charges for the Europa League final against Chelsea at the end of this month in Baku, Azerbaijan. A victory will mean the Gunners can claim a Champions League berth for the upcoming season and in terms of silverware it means it will be a profitable season for the Emirates Stadium outfit.
Unai Emery continues to make Arsenal defy expectation and
May 29, 2019 · Sarri, whose own future at Chelsea remains in doubt after a tumultuous campaign with Juventus credited with an interest in luring him back to Serie A, admitted he had long known of Hazard's
Hazard deserves Real Madrid move but boring Chelsea will be
Soccer: Bayern Munich win Bundesliga title for seventh
0 comments:
Post a Comment