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Upon his return from an eight-month absence, Ivan Toney confidently declared that he would score and lead Brentford to victory.
After being suspended from playing football in May for breaking betting regulations, the striker scored for the first time in 267 days during the 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Toney made a bold free-kick, bringing attention back to himself for positive reasons.
“It took a while, but it finally happened,” he stated during an interview with Sky Sports. “While I was out, I visualized winning this game and now I’m here, thrilled to be scoring goals and achieving victories with my team.”
“I had a feeling this would occur. I have a tendency to bring about events like this. Before I left my home, I had a thought that we would be victorious today and I would score. And I made it a reality.”
Danilo scored a goal for Forest in the third minute, followed by a free-kick given away by Orel Mangala near the edge of the area.
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I had a feeling this would occur. I have a knack for bringing things into reality. Prior to leaving my house, I had the thought of “we will win today and I will score.” And lo and behold, it came true.
The free-kick was going to be taken by only one player. Just like how Toney scored in the same game last season, which was his last goal before being banned, the 27-year-old smoothly kicked the ball around the wall and into Matt Turner’s left-hand post.
Ryan Yates, the captain of the forest team, was angered by Turner’s failure to notice the opening that Toney later took advantage of. However, no one seemed to have noticed that the English striker had slyly moved the ball a small distance to the right while the goalkeeper was setting up his defensive wall.
“I noticed the opening,” Toney explained. “Sometimes there’s an opportunity and I curved the ball around the barrier and was pleased to see it score.”
However, Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of Forest, believed that the goal should not have been allowed.
“The rule is clear when it comes to ball displacement,” he stated. “Every goal must be reviewed. I am unsure if they followed through with the review or not.”
“The players must also demonstrate some level of maturity as it alters the ball’s positioning, by nearly a yard. However, our players were not aware of this.”
The incident and the law went unnoticed by Bees coach Thomas Frank.
“I am completely unaware. I was not aware that he was the one who did it,” said Frank. “He is a skilled player, what else can I say? He executed it successfully and scored a goal.”
He’s an intelligent player, what else can I add?
Ivan is a classic performer who excels on the grand stage. His ability to return after an eight-month hiatus and score a clever goal is especially impressive and demonstrates his talent.
In the 58th minute, Brentford took the lead as Ben Mee outmaneuvered his defender and scored a header off of Mathias Jensen’s corner kick.
Seven minutes later Chris Wood glanced in a cross from Callum Hudson-Odoi for his fifth goal in four league matches under new boss Nuno.
However, Toney played a crucial role once again as Brentford secured the win in the 70th minute. He sent a pass to the right side, allowing Jensen to make a cross for Neal Maupay to score and propel the Bees ahead of their rivals, landing them in 14th place.
Nuno stated, “Our performance was impressive. We executed well, had strong momentum, a fighting spirit, and worked together as a team. Although the outcome is disappointing, I am pleased with our performance.”
Source: independent.co.uk
