Alan Ruschel revels in first Campeonato Brasileiro goal since surviving plane crash | OneFootball

Chapecoense plane crash survivor Alan Ruschel revelled in scoring his first Campeonato Brasileiro goal since the 2016 tragedy.

Ruschel was one of three players to survive – along with Neto and Jackson Follmann – after a plane carrying the Chapecoense squad, technical commission and a number of journalists for the first leg of the Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional crashed en route to Medellin two days before the match was due to take place, killing 71 people on board, almost three years ago.

The 30-year-old Ruschel made an emotional return to football in the Joan Gamper Trophy against LaLiga giants Barcelona at Camp Nou in August 2017, while he scored in a friendly with Roma on September 1.

Ruschel, who returned to competitive action against Flamengo in September that year, scored his first goal since the plane crash in Chapecoense's 2-1 Catarinense 1 win over Hercilio Luz in February 2019.

However, Goias loanee Ruschel netted for the first time in Campeonato Brasileiro since the accident as the team upstaged Cruzeiro 1-0 on Monday.

"I've been working daily to make things happen," Ruschel said via Globoesporte.com after scoring the 62nd-minute winner. "It was my second goal after the tragedy."

Ruschel also wrote on Instagram: "God allows people to doubt us, to see us grow and activate our faith! It will make us dedicate more, fight more, so that in the end things happen!

"Thank you for everything my God. Let's go up and looking for more."

Ruschel is on loan at Goias until the end of the Campeonato Brasileiro season, with the veteran contracted to Chapecoense until 2020.

"I said I wanted to get out of there to breathe new air, to show that I had really returned to playing at high performance," Ruschel added.

"Too happy to be helping the team of Goias. A team that hugged me and the best way to give back is on the field."