Armando Broja speaks on “dream” Premier League goal for Southampton

Southampton striker Armando Broja spoke of fulfilling a dream after scoring his first Premier League goal in the 1-0 win over Leeds on Saturday.

A strong performance from the young Albanian and his teammates saw the Saints overcome their opponents with relative ease and it was Broja who found the net after a superb counter-attack on 53 minutes. Post-match, he spoke about the moment that saw his childhood hopes realised.

Speaking to southamptonfc.com, he said:

"“Like I say prior to this I’ve been dreaming about this moment since I was a kid; getting my first Premier League start and a goal to come with it. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”"

Southampton have just what they need at the moment with Broja

Southampton were dealt a blow over the international break when Che Adams picked up a minor injury and was ruled out of facing Leeds. This meant they could be missing the physical presence that Ralph Hasenhuttl needs upfront.

However, they have got Armando Broja on-loan from Chelsea for the season and he had proven his goalscoring abilities with Albania in the past couple of international breaks whilst also appearing for bright cameos for Saints.

The 20-year-old was handed his first Premier League start yesterday and did not disappoint.

Southampton fans knew that he had height, skill and pace combined having seen him light up a tight 0-0 draw with West Ham back in September and he was involved straight from the first whistle this time around.

Two headers from separate corners – seemingly the same corner routine repeated and nearly coming off twice – went just wide whilst his pure presence would have helped in creating more chances for Nathan Redmond and others in the first-half.

Then, early in the second period, Broja had his moment. A superb defence splitting pass from Moussa Djenepo played Redmond in and created a two on one situation, leading to the latter squaring for Broja to finish in simple fashion.

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl spoke of how impressed he had been with his young striker and Saturday’s game will surely see him handed more opportunities to become a key man between now and May.