Mateo Kovacic has dedicated his two goals to his unborn child following a dramatic 3-2 victory for Manchester City over Fulham in the Premier League, Soccernet.football reports.
The Croatian midfielder’s brace helped City secure their first league win in three matches, bringing a much-needed boost to their campaign.
City started the match strongly, dominating possession early on.
However, it was Fulham who struck first. Raul Jimenez’s impressive backheel cross found Andreas Pereira, who finished from close range to give the visitors an unexpected lead.
Adama Traore missed two crucial opportunities shortly thereafter, first being denied by City’s goalkeeper Ederson in a one-on-one situation, and then firing high from inside the box.
Kovacic made Fulham pay for those missed chances. His first goal came from a half-cleared corner, with a deflected shot that found the back of the net.
Just after the break, he doubled his tally with a clean strike from the edge of the area.
Despite their lead, City faced a late scare as Traore once again challenged Ederson, this time being thwarted once more.
However, Jeremy Doku provided a moment of brilliance, curling a stunning shot into the far top corner to seemingly seal the victory for City. Yet, substitute Rodrigo Muniz gave Fulham hope with a late goal, leaving City to hold on for the win.
After the match, Kovacic shared a personal revelation, while speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: “It means a lot because my wife is pregnant so it was great to get some goals for the little one.
“It’s nice to score but the most important thing is the team and that we won today. It is never easy to play in the Premier League and today we showed great character. Good game for us.
“We play every three days and every game is a tough one. It is not easy and we have to adapt to the schedule. It is what it is. We have to be in top form every day. We could have conceded an equaliser but thankfully we have Ederson in our goal.”
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