Experiencing my initial cinema outing was a painful affair.
Niclas Füllkrug, the German national team player, faced a setback in his debut with West Ham United in the Premier League. The team lost their opening game of the season to Aston Villa, a Champions League participant, with a score of 1:2 (1:1).
Füllkrug, who joined West Ham from Borussia Dortmund for €27 million, had to wait till the 73rd minute to make his entry into the Premier League action. The crowd at the stadium, filled with 62,000 spectators, welcomed him with loud cheers, but Füllkrug's joy was short-lived as Jhon Duran scored the winning goal for Aston Villa just a few minutes later. The goal was set up by Füllkrug's former teammate, Ian Maatsen, with whom he had played alongside at Borussia Dortmund the previous season. Amadou Onana had given Villa an early lead with a goal at the 4th minute, but Lucas Paquetá equalized for West Ham with a penalty in the 37th minute.
"It's fine I didn't play"
Later, in an interview with Sky, Füllkrug admitted, "Obviously, it's disappointing, especially playing at home where we should have at least drawn." He took his late substitution in stride, expressing his ambitions, "I've only been training with the team for a week and a half. So it's fine that I didn't play. I don't know all the procedures yet. But, of course, my goal is to play. That's clear." Apart from a harmless header in stoppage time, Füllkrug didn't have any significant moments during his first Premier League minutes.
Coach Julen Lopetegui, who managed to strengthen his squad with an investment of over €120 million during the summer transfer window, was unhappy with the defeat, which was mainly due to the team's poor defensive performance. He said, "It's disappointing for us and our fans. We had high expectations and ambitions for this game. We have to learn from our mistakes and hold onto our strengths."
Füllkrug remains optimistic, "I thought we were evenly matched today," he said. "We have things to build on and things to improve. That's a good starting point for the season."
Despite the setback, Füllkrug mentioned his love for soccer, expressing, "I've always enjoyed playing soccer, and that's what I'll continue to do." In his upcoming matches, he hopes to contribute more to West Ham United's success, saying, "I'm looking forward to getting more opportunities to showcase my skills on the Soccer field."
