Sam Adekugbe scored his first professional goal on Tuesday – and what a goal it was.
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC fullback broke free on the overlap before blasting a left-footed strike into the roof of the net to help Brighton & Hove Albion FC defeat Oxford United 4-2 in the second round of the Football League (EFL) Cup. The goal came less than two minutes into the match.
Adekugbe is on loan at Brighton through June 2017.
This was his second appearance with the first team, after making his debut in Brighton’s 4-0 win over fourth-tier side Colchester United FC in their EFL Cup opener earlier this month.
Tuesday was a tougher test for the Calgary, Alberta resident, as Oxford United compete in League One – the third highest tier of England’s soccer pyramid. Brighton currently compete in the Championship, which is the second tier behind the English Premier League.
“I want to improve myself in the League Cup, in the Championship and in the under-23s,” Adekugbe told Brighton’s official website. “I have to take every game at a time and it comes down to me showing what abilities I have in any match that I play.”
“Every day is another day to improve,” he added. “You don’t want to get too up or too down, it’s a matter of keeping a level head and working hard in every training session.”
Brighton will learn their third-round EFL Cup opponent on Wednesday. The EFL Cup is an annual knockout competition featuring all 92 clubs from the top four English tiers.
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