Zeno Debast: In-demand in England, moved to tears at Sporting | OneFootball

Zeno Debast cannot forget the goal against Lille. Besides being his debut in the Champions League, the powerful shot from Sporting's 'number 6' was also the first goal of the Belgian international's career, who recalled the words of Ruben Amorim, the Lions' coach at the time.

"It was a fantastic feeling, it was my first game in the Champions League. I noticed there was a lot of space between the forwards and the defenders [of Lille]. I slowly tried to get between the lines because I saw there was space there. The ball was on the left, with Daniel Bragança. He made a perfect pass to me, and that's when I thought, 'I'll shoot and see what happens.' Initially, I had no doubts. Only when I advanced did I hear the coach [Ruben Amorim] shouting 'calm down!', to keep possession. Then I immediately saw that the shot was going in the right direction and it went in," he said, to UEFA.

Debast recalled Ruben Amorim's words at the end of the match - which Sporting ended up winning 2-0 thanks to the Belgian's stunning goal and Viktor Gyokeres' opening goal: "He was upset with his decision, but the best goals happen like this, when you least expect it."

"(First thing I did) I went to see the group I have with my family and read all the reactions from my parents, my brother, my uncles, my friends... It made me very emotional and a tear fell. When I went to the players' lounge, my family and friends were there and seeing them all smile when I entered is a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life," admitted Debast - who is being courted abroad.

At the start of this season, Zeno Debast - valued at 30 million euros - has already played 12 official matches wearing the Sporting jersey. The Belgian international for the Lions has, so far, 775 minutes of play, but still without any goals or assists to his personal record.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.