When Siem De Jong beat Jamie Young at the near post in Sydney FC’s 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar last Friday night, most fans were of the opinion that it was one of the classiest strikes this season.
Ask the man who scored it though and he’ll give you a different adjective.
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“I wouldn’t say it’s a really beautiful goal, it was more cheeky. It’s one of the weirdest goals I’ve scored,” De Jong told sydneyfc.com.au.
“I wasn’t thinking about shooting at first because when I turned around to play it back I was looking [for the pass], it took me a second and then the goalkeeper wasn’t looking as well to block that [pass], so I tried to fake it and shot it over his foot.”
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The Dutchman has shown real glimpses of quality since arriving on loan for Ajax but has been hampered by persistent injuries.
In fact, the Round 23 match at Suncorp Stadium was his first since February and De Jong said he was looking forward to Saturday’s Big Blue against Melbourne Victory.
“I like the big games. It always bring’s a bit of extra to a team,” he said.
“They’re difficult games as well but it brings more fans to the stadium, a bigger atmosphere,
so for everybody involved it’s good. It gives pressure but also excitement.
“Coming to the end of the season it’s where the prizes are to be won. It’s good to be back now and hopefully I’ll build on that, get more minutes in the coming games.
“They’re all important and nice games to be playing so I’m looking forward to being a part of it. We have a lot of confidence going into this part of the season. The team is getting stronger and getting bigger and that will be good for this part of the season.”
