Getty Sergino Dest scores against Dynamo Kiev
Sergino Dest offered his thoughts after scoring his first goal for Barcelona in Tuesday’s 4-0 Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev. The 20-year-old struck the opening goal in Kiev and made history along the way.
The first 🇺🇸 player to score for @FCBarcelona and 10th #USMNT player to score in the @ChampionsLeague!
Well done, @sergino_dest! 👏
Dest spoke to the club’s official media after the big win in Ukraine and explained how he was feeling after opening his account for his new club in Europe’s top competition.
I’m very happy to score my first goal. I think overall we played good as a team, everybody played good and we took the win. We have two more games to go but we are in a good position right now. I am very happy we won and I can’t wait until we play the next game. I am really happy to score my first goal. I think we needed a goal, it was an important one to make it 1-0 and hopefully many more to come.
The youngster was restored to the starting XI for the match and now looks set for an extended run in the team due to Sergi Roberto’s injury. The 28-year-old has been ruled out for two months due to a hamstring problem.
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Barcelona’s Americans Making Waves
Dest was not the only American star to feature for Barcelona against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday. Konrad de la Fuente came off the bench in the second half to make his debut for the senior side.
Konrad de la Fuente becomes the 7th American to play in the #UCL this season 👏
The 19-year-old winger replaced Francisco Trincao in the 83rd minute and admitted after the game it was an “incredible feeling” to make his debut for Barcelona.
❝It’s an incredible feeling, making my debut.❞
— @konradjr
Dest and Konrad playing in the same game means Barca become just the second team to field two US players in a Champions League match since Manchester United in 2008, according to Gracenote Live.
Jordi Alba Praises Dest
There’s no doubt that Dest will have caught the eye with his goal but he also came in for praise for his overall display from team-mate Jordi Alba. The left-back spoke about the 20-year-old after the match, as reported by Marca.
Dest comes with a lot of desire. Unfortunately with Sergi’s injury he will surely have more opportunities. He has a great future and fits perfectly with the characteristics that a full-back at Barça should have. I think he has a high level. We are happy for all the players. they haven’t played much until today and they played a great game.
Manager Ronald Koeman was also pleased with his young players. The Dutch coach handed starts to Dest, Junior Firpo, Carles Alena, Trincao, and Oscar Mingueza and was happy with the way his players responded to the challenge, as reported by Football Espana.
I liked the collective image we showed today. That’s what we want. Today we have seen a very hungry team. We scored four goals, important players were able to rest, and the youngsters have deserved these minutes. They have delivered.
Koeman will now be hoping his team can transfer their Champions League form to La Liga. The Catalan giants have struggled so far in 2020-21, with just 11 points from their first 8 games, and welcome Osasuna to the Camp Nou next.
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