Werder loanee Samuel Mbangula scored three goals against AC Milan – exactly the same number as he managed in a whole season for Bremen. In his first start, the Belgian shone for FC Bologna.
The evening at the Giuseppe Meazza got off to the best possible start for Samuel Mbangula, as he found the net after just eight minutes to make it 1–0 to Bologna. The striker had been named in the starting line-up by manager Raffaele Palladino for the first time, having previously played just 14 minutes for the Rossoblu. On Wednesday evening, he made a strong case for further starts.
He scored once from eight metres out in a central position, once cleverly left his marker in his wake, and for the goal that made it 4–2, he slipped past the Milan defence: with his hat-trick, Mbangula was the match-winner in Milan. He has already equalled his goal tally from last Bundesliga season, prior to which he had moved from Juventus to Bremen for ten million euros.
The buy-out clause, which would allow Bologna to sign the Werder loanee on a permanent basis, is around three million euros more than the transfer fee paid at the time. Performances like the one on Wednesday evening are therefore also being welcomed in Bremen.
Palladino praises Mbangula not just for his goals
For Mbangula, meanwhile, it was the first time in his career that he had scored more than one goal in a match. “My first hat-trick, but hopefully not my last,” said the delighted 22-year-old, looking back on “one of the best evenings of my life”.
Bologna manager Palladino’s decision to include Mbangula in the starting line-up paid off in full. The manager praised his player not only for the three goals: “He’d only played a bit so far, but even before the three goals I was impressed by his commitment: in the closing stages he even played as a right-back in defence.”
Thanks to this away win, the Rossoblu climbed to eleventh place in the Serie A table – despite Bologna having only two points to their name after their first five matches. “We’re a great team, and that’s our real strength: we always stick together and have proved that by never giving up,” said Mbangula, explaining the upturn in form over the last few weeks.