Adrian Segecic earned big praise following his match-winning debut for Portsmouth in the EFL Championship.
The joint Isuzu UTE A-League 2024-25 Golden Boot winner scored the decisive goal as Portsmouth kicked off their season with a 1-0 victory away to Oxford United.
Segecic struck in the 38th minute to cap an unforgettable debut for the 21-year-old Australian star, who moved to Fratton Park from Sydney FC in the off-season.
His opening-round exploits drew comparisons with Manchester City and Portugal star Bernardo Silva.
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Former Pompey winger Glen Little, commentating on the game, said on BBC Radio Solent: “He’s small, wearing number 10, there are a number of players he reminds me of.
“How about Bernardo Silva? If he’s half as good as him, he’ll be happy. Also, Emre, who I played against, a very jinky and trippy type of player.”
As for Segecic, he revelled in the memorable bow.
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“I scored a goal and the team picked up all three points – I couldn’t really ask for a better debut than that,” he said.
“I thought Colby was going to put the ball in the back of the net, but it fell for me perfectly on my left foot.
“That’s the area where I’m most clinical and I felt that the boys really brought the intensity away from home.
“It feels massive to start the new season with a victory, especially because of the confidence that it’s going to give everyone.
“I was told on the Friday that I was starting the game, which was great to hear and I couldn’t ask for much more.
“I felt pretty relaxed because I know that if I work hard when I’m on the pitch, then the rest will take care of itself.
“The boys have made me feel so comfortable ever since I arrived at the club and that’s why I’m able to play the way I have been lately.
“To go over and celebrate with the fans at the final whistle was amazing and we all know the ones we have are unbelievable.”
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Meanwhile, Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho lavished Segecic in praise.
“First and foremost, Segs was a difference maker with the goal, he took his goal really, really well. It’s something we saw when we recruited him – joint-top scorer in the A-League last year,” he told The News.
“That was the most important thing, but second behind that was his work-rate and his press, the way that he got about his business. He picked up some really good pockets in possession and was a constant threat.
“We’ve had him since the first day of pre-season, which has helped. We’ve had some players who have come in recently and are not quite up to speed for various reasons. If you look at Minhyeok (Yang), for example, I thought he came on and looked really bright, but he has a stop-start pre-season with Spurs.
“We got a huge amount out of Florian against Oxford, but he hasn’t played 60 minutes in a long, long time. He did well.
“With Segs, we knew he was fit, we knew he was ready to go, so we had to start him. When we signed him, I thought he was first-team ready.
“Hopefully he does develop and becomes a better player, but we signed him to affect the first-team.”
Mousinho, who introduced former Brisbane Roar star Thomas Waddingham off the bench while ex-Sydney FC defender Hayden Matthews was an unused substitute, added: “Apart from the goal, his work-rate is superb and he runs and runs and he has the quality to back that up as well.
“He’s just a constant threat in the middle of the park. He’s the sort of player that – as a six or even centre-half – I would have hated to play against.”
