It was the Villa defender's first ever International goalplaceholder image
It was the Villa defender's first ever International goal | Getty Images
The overjoyed Villa defender reflected on a ‘proud moment’
Following England’s slightly underwhelming performance against Andorra at Villa Park, Thomas Tuchel’s men looked back to their best in their 5-0 battering of Serbia in Belgrade.
Goals from former Villa loan star, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Noni Madueke and Marc Guehi helped secure an emphatic three points for The Three Lions. Also on the score-sheet was Villa defender, Ezri Konsa, who scored his first goal for his country.
After going into the Serbia area for a set piece after pin-ball like scramble, the ball fell at the 27-year old’s feet from point blank range, giving him an easy tap-in. On his 14th cap, Konsa scored England’s third goal on the night, securing the win and giving him an evening to remember.
‘A night I’ll never forget’ - Ezri Konsa
Following the win, the Villa man said: “Excellent night. A moment I’ve dreamt of since I was a kid. You always dream about these moments and when I was young, I always pictured it, trying to score for England. For it to finally happen, and my whole family watching back home, it was a proud moment, and a night I’ll never, ever forget.
“It’s something I’ve been trying to work on to try and get more goals, so to finally score today was an amazing moment. I think that’s everyone’s dream, no matter where you play. It’s everyone’s dream to score for their country, and a night I’ll never forget.”
At club level, Konsa has had a disappointing start to the season, as the England international was sent off in the opening game of the season against Newcastle. Villa fans will be hoping that their mainstay at the back can gain some confidence from his International milestone.
Set piece threat led to Ezri Konsa goal
During his seven years at Aston Villa, Konsa has always been a threat from set-pieces and has scored eleven goals in his career so far. Villa set piece coach, Austin Macphee is partly responsible for the majority of them, but the defender has been trying to add goals to his game at both club and International level of late.
Konsa said: “In set-pieces, especially as centre-halves, we have to think like the attackers, like H (Harry Kane) and all of them lot up top.” During the International break, he wasn’t the only Villa defender to get on the score sheet as Matty Cash scored in both Poland’s matches against the Netherlands and Finland, respectively.
Elsewhere, Youri Tielemans starred for Belgium in back-to-back 6-0 wins over Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan, scoring a brace against the former. Meanwhile, skipper, John McGinn was Man of the Match for Scotland in their 0-0 draw with Denmark.
As the international break comes to a close, Unai Emery will now gear up to face Everton away, as the Hill Dickinson Stadium plays host to the most common top flight fixture in English football.
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