Mexican and Olympiacos forward Armando González fueled a spirited comeback at Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, dedicating a milestone European goal to his mother and country during a thrilling continental debut.
Greek side Olympiacos started its Europa League campaign with a win; the Thrylos defeated Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok 2-1 in their first game of the league phase of the tournament. The match was played at a packed Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium, the home ground of Olympiacos.
The Red and Whites were handed a blow in the initial stages of the match when Jagiellonia managed to score a goal just 20 minutes into the game. However, the Greek side were able to turn the game in their favour with goals by Mexican forward Armando González and Ukrainian forward Roman Yaremchuk helping Olympiacos to make the comeback and finish the game as the winners.
As reported by media outlet Sport24, González, in particular, was very emotional after the game. In the post-match statement made to Mexican media, the 23-year-old Mexican forward dedicated his equalising goal to his mother. He said, “It’s a very special day because it’s my mom’s birthday and I told her: ‘Mom, I love you so much, happy birthday, and this goal was for you.’ Not just for my mother, but for all Mexicans. I think that honouring my country abroad is one of my goals, and I’m very happy that today, on Mexican Independence Day, I managed to score a goal to show that Mexicans are capable of many things.”
González, who is playing his very first season in Europe after starting out in his home country, was particularly elated about the fact that this was his first goal on the European stage. The forward further added in his statement, “I thought about quickly taking the ball and going to the crossbar, because I wanted to look for another goal. But I saw that everyone was celebrating and I said okay, let's go celebrate. I am very grateful to God for these beautiful opportunities. First came the opportunity to play in Europe, and now I am very happy to score.”
González further said, “I remembered all the times when, as a child, I watched the Europa League and the Champions League and dreamed of the moment to play in stadiums like these. Thank God for bringing me here. I will continue to work to present the best version of myself.”
The equaliser against Jagiellonia, which was González’s first goal in Europe, will most definitely act as a catalyst in the process of making the youngster one of the most sought-after talents in world football.
