admin
Cologne, to share with them the joy of scoring his debut goal since his move into the Bundesliga.
The Zimbabwe international striker broke his goal duck, since his move from Kaizer Chiefs to TSG Hoffenheim, when he scored the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Cologne in an all-Bundesliga German Cup clash.
Musona was playing his first game, as a member of the starting XI, on Tuesday night after five previous appearances as a substitute.
Speaking from his base last night, Musona told The Herald that he was confident that this could be the start of a feast of goals, but he was not exerting pressure on himself.
He said his first call, after the match, was to his family in Norton where he talked to his mother Janet and his brothers and sisters.
“I was feeling good after the game. I directly called my family and they were very happy. They saw on the Internet that I had scored,” said Musona.
“They had been waiting for my first goal since I went to Hoffenheim.
“I am very happy about the blessing from my family. But I am also happy I could help the team, because without their support I wouldn’t have been able to perform that well.
“I hope the next chance to help the team win games will come soon,” said Musona.
The talismanic Warriors forward fired home the winner five minutes into the second half to give his side a 2-1 win.
The goal could open a new chapter in Musona’s career at Hoffenheim with the club indicating that they were monitoring the striker’s progress and could be throwing him into the starting XI.
Hoffenheim coach Holger Stanislawski told The Herald that they are looking at giving the striker more starts in the league and he was impressed with the shift that he put in on Tuesday night.
“Knowledge did a solid job out there. As the technical team we will not focus on the goal but instead we will try to analyse his whole game,” said Stanislawski.
“He was running a lot.
“I think, the experience of 90 minutes football at this level is really good for him and will help him to develop even faster than he already did.”
Hoffenheim have been monitoring Musona after he was injured during the pre-season preparations and the German club have been careful not to risk a player they believe could turn into a big star at the club.
It’s not usual for German clubs to offer young players recruited from Africa five-year contracts and, the fact that Musona was offered such a deal, confirmed that Hoffenheim have seen real value in his talent.
Musona was also on target in the Warriors last Africa Cup of Nations tie against Cape Verde in Praia two weeks ago when he converted a penalty after the hosts had raced to a 2-0 lead early in the match.
The striker delayed his start to life at Hoffenheim after sustaining a hamstring injury in his first full training session with his new club.
The injury saw him missing the first four league games of the season as well as Zimbabwe’s Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia.
Since his recovery the 21-year-old striker has featured in all the five league games that the club has played, prior to Tuesday night, as a substitute.
But with his performance on Tuesday night Musona is now expected to get his first start in a Bundesliga game, which would be a big boost for the striker who has made no secret of his intentions of making an early impact in Germany.
Hoffenheim will now travel to seasoned campaigners Schalke 04 in their next Bundesliga game at the Veltins Arena on Saturday and Musona will be hoping to get his first league start despite the assignment being a tough one for his team.
Online Reporter