Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig could not hide his delight after scoring his first goal for the club in Sunday’s La Liga win over Elche.
The 21-year-old only came off the bench in the 87th minute but still managed to make his presence felt before the full-time whistle with Barca’s second goal of the match to wrap up the three points.
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Riqui Talks First Goal
Puig’s goal was made by Frenkie de Jong who drove into the penalty area and then chipped the ball for his team-mate to head home. The midfielder spoke to Barca TV after the match about how it’s a special moment to open his account for the club.
I will keep my shirt because it is the one with which I scored my first goal. My parents tell me to keep everything to have a memory later. I thank all the culers for their support and their messages
The last time that I scored a goal with my head I was still playing for Cadete A! It’s a difficult year for me when it comes to minutes, but I’m strong-minded. I’m happy with how my teammates are helping me.
We are taking steps forward. It’s a tough month because we play a lot of games away from home. These victories help us a lot.
De Jong had earlier put Barcelona in front in the first half. Diego Gonzalez looked to have scored on own goal, but the Netherlands international just got the final touch to net his fourth of the season.
Barca Make It Four in a Row
Barca’s win makes it four straight wins in La Liga with all four matches having been played away from the Camp Nou. The Catalan giants also move up to third place in the table behind leaders Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
De Jong was Barca’s man of the match, picking up a goal and an assist, and spoke about his team’s performance after the victory, as reported by Marca.
I think that since the beginning of the year we are a little better. We have played all the games away from home since the beginning of the year and we have won them all, so we are better
We pushed well because they want to start from behind. It’s difficult when you don’t push well as a team. We worked well, it was a tough game. We are happy with the victory.
Playing better is not just scoring goals and assists, but I’m happy. Mentally we are fine. We work very hard throughout the year. We are growing and improving throughout the year.
The Netherlands international is in a rich vein of form following a tactical tweak that has seen him play in a move advanced role for Barca. De Jong now has four goals and three assists in his last 11 games for Ronald Koeman’s men in all competitions.
READ NEXT: Koeman Explains Why He Subbed Riqui Puig at Half-Time
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Riqui Puig Reacts to Scoring First Barcelona Goal