“The most beautiful moment of my life”: Tearful HSV academy product Nandja over the moon after first professional goal
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Shafiq Nandja scored his first professional goal in Hamburger SV's 3-1 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on Friday. The 19-year-old center-back netted the all-important second goal moments after Ko Itakura's red card.
“The whole team is happy for him. He's a Hamburg lad. For him to score his first goal at home is incredible!” Miro Muheim said after the win, for which he also contributed with a brilliant first-half strike.
“I had tears in my eyes,” said the defender following his breakthrough moment. “I just ran to the corner flag, a little bit in front of the north stand, and just let out everything I had inside. That was one of the best feelings of my entire life.”
A fan of the club since childhood, Nandja joined HSV's youth ranks in 2018. After making his first two appearances at the end of last season, the 1.95-meter defender was promoted to the first team. Friday's game was also the first time he started a match at Volksparkstadion.
“It's indescribable to score a goal in this stadium. That was always a dream I wanted to fulfill. I want to experience this feeling every day.” Nandja added about his special evening.
On the day one of their own guided them to an exciting win, HSV also gave a competitive debut for 18-year-old center-back Jason Bissi-Mouelle. “We want to give the lads a chance if they perform well in training.” the delighted coach Merlin Polzin said afterwards.
