Piazon: 'One of the world's most competitive leagues'
Hamburg - Lucas Piazon: he came, he saw, he scored. Just four minutes after coming on as a substitute in Eintracht Frankfurt's Matchday 6 trip to Hamburger SV, the 20-year-old Brazilian hit an unstoppable free-kick past Jaroslav Drobny from 30 metres out to secure the Eagles their second win of the season.
Gustavo Lucas Domingues Piazon, to give him his full name, spoke to bundesliga.com after the game about his match-winning strike, his aims at Frankfurt, and how he rates the Bundesliga.
bundesliga.com: Lucas Piazon, talk us through your goal.
Lucas Piazon: When the referee gave the free kick, Haris [Seferovic] and Timothy [Chandler] came over and said 'It's the 88th minute, it's a big chance – you can take it!' So I had the ball, and that gave me a lot of self-belief. I was happy that I hit the ball so well - it was a great goal.
bundesliga.com: Do you practice that sort of thing in training?
Piazon: Yes, we practice free kicks in the run up to matches and I try to hit a few like that in warm-ups. The fact it came off in a game makes me really happy.
bundesliga.com: Nevertheless the day didn't start so well for you with you starting the match on the bench.
Piazon: That's not a problem, I understand the manager's thinking. I'm happy that I got on for a few minutes in Hamburg and in the end that was enough.
bundesliga.com: After the win, Eintracht find themselves ahead of teams like Dortmund and Schalke. The only way is up, right?
Piazon: We're not looking too far into the future. We just want to get the most out of ourselves and continue to improve as a team.
bundesliga.com: And what goals have you set for yourself?
Piazon: I came to Eintracht to play and I gain more experience with every minute. I believe that I can be very happy with my performances thus far, so I'm very happy at the moment.
bundesliga.com: And do you think we can expect even more from you in the future?
Piazon: Yes - that's completely normal. I've only been in Frankfurt for a couple of months. I'm getting to know the team and the Bundesliga more and more and I'm trying to improve game-on-game.
bundesliga.com: Before coming to Germany you'd already played in England, Spain and the Netherlands. How does the Bundesliga differ from other leagues?
Piazon: There is one big difference. Every game is extremely competitive - it is very physically demanding and the teams are always full of running. For me, the Bundesliga is one of the most competitive leagues in the world.
Interview by Michael Reis
