Denis Zakaria has revealed he is ‘very happy’ to have made his debut for Chelsea after he started and scored in the Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb.
The midfielder signed for the Blues on loan from Juventus on Deadline Day in the summer transfer window, but had not played any minutes for his new club prior to their match on Wednesday night.
Graham Potter soon awarded him his first appearance for Chelsea, and the Swiss international made the most of his opportunity.
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Zakaria netted the west London side’s second goal of the evening against Zagreb, with the Blues winning 2-1 on the night in their final group stage game in the Champions League.
Not only did he score, but the 25-year-old proved to be one of Chelsea’s best players on the night as they returned to winning ways after their weekend loss to Brighton.
After the win, Zakaria spoke to BT Sport about his debut for the club as the midfielder looks towards potential further appearances for the club.
“Very exciting, very happy. I’m really happy,” he said.
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“It was important for me to play good, play a good game and to help the team win.
“I’m really happy about the win, that’s the most important thing.”
Chelsea went 1-0 down on the night against Zagreb, with Bruno Petkovic heading in after some poor defending inside the area.
However, Raheem Sterling was on hand to bring the scores level soon after as he scored his fourth goal of the season.
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With half an hour played, Zakaria put the Blues into the lead with a strong finish from the edge of the area, and he soon spoke on what was going through his head before he netted his first for the club.
“On my mind only was that I have to score. I shoot as hard as possible. It went in and I’m really happy.”
Zakaria also commented on his lack of game time for the club when he added: "Very, very difficult. I always want to play.
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“When you have to see your teammates from the bench, it’s not easy. I’m always behind the team. I was waiting for my chance, it came today and I took it."
Chelsea had already secured their progression to the last-16 of the Champions League before their encounter against Zagreb.
Back-to-back wins against AC Milan and an away victory at RB Salzburg ensured that Graham Potter’s side would finish top of Group E and advance to the next round of the competition.
The Blues will now wait to see who they will come up against in the knockout rounds of the tournament, which will be played at the beginning of the new year.
Topics: Chelsea, Champions League, Football
Robert Calcutt