Super Eagles forward Salim Fago Lawal opened his account since moving to Viktoria Plzen last month, as they recorded a hard-earned 2-1 win over Sigma Olomouc on Saturday, SportPremi reports.
The 23-year-old had joined the Czech republic club in a record deal from Croatian side NK Istra during the January transfer window and enjoyed an impressive outing, leading his club to a hard-earned win.
It marked his third appearance since the move, having already played in the wins over Karvina and Slovan Liberec.
It took just 17 minutes for the versatile Nigerian forward to open the scoring, as he latched on to a loose ball and fired into the roof of the net to give his side the lead.
Danijel Sturm levelled for the home side five minutes later, but Viktoria Plzen regained the lead on the stroke of halftime through David Krcik.
They sealed a third consecutive win as they moved into third place on the standings, three points behind second-placed Sparta Prague, who face Hradec Kralove on Sunday.
Salim Fago Lawal earns praise after first goal for Viktoria Plzen
Speaking after the match, Viktoria Plzen head coach Martin Hysky hailed Lawal’s performance and versatility, as he hopes for more goalscoring displays from the forward.
“It’s very positive that he (Lawal) finished off the set piece and was in the right place. He reacted great”, Hysky said after the match.
“It was a match of great intensity and in conditions that are not exactly football-like, and he helped a lot with the runs behind the defense, he also helped a lot in pressing situations.
“He behaved great even when his back was to the opponent’s goal. He kept some difficult balls and again gave a very good performance”, he added.
“We are happy to have him here because this is exactly the type of striker that will help us be dangerous.
“I am happy that he can handle the number nine position. He is also capable of playing elsewhere on the pitch. I believe he will get better and better”, Hysky concluded.
Salim Fago Lawal will make his European debut for Viktoria Plzen when they face Panathinaikos in the first leg of their Europa League playoff on Thursday, as they eye progress to the Round of 16.
