D-SSELDORF, Germany (AP) – Disappointing at Real Madrid, Luka Jovic has a momentary chance to show up at the German club where he made a call-up.
The Serbian striker came from the bench in his first bundesliga return-on-loan match on Sunday and scored two goals, propelling Eintracht Frankfurt to a 3–1 win over Schalke.
It was an explosive cameo of the part an hour when Jovic sent a shot to the roof of the net, then added another in the time off after beating a defender with his footwork, as many goals as he scored in 19 months with Madrid.
“I couldn’t have imagined a better comeback,” Jovic wrote on Instagram. “I hope this is just the beginning and it’s yet to come. “
His Frankfurt teammate Djibril Sow recounted a pre-match verbal exchange in which Jovic said he would score once if he had 15 minutes of play, twice if he had an hour.
“He kept his word,” Sow said in comments published through the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper. “And it’s nothing you can take for granted to deliver like this in your first game. Lots of class. “
If he can continue, this type of annotative form can return Jovic to relevance in Madrid after spending 2020 at the highlight more for his injuries and behavior amid the coronavirus pandemic than for his rare occurrences.
Jovic’s record for two goals in 32 games for Madrid is in good shape (27 goals in 48 games for Frankfurt in 2018-19), which earned him a transfer to Spain for 60 million euros ($72 million). This reflects Jovic’s limited playing time in Madrid, with 11 home ownerships, and a less than stellar personality.
Jovic was visibly frustrated in his last outing with Madrid in one of the most ignominious matches in the club’s recent history, defeating him 3-2 at home in October against a Shakhtar Donetsk team so exhausted by the cases of coronavirus that he had to resort to young players.
The pandemic has rocked Jovic’s career: in March, he returned to Serbia when the Spanish league was suspended and was photographed at a party. Jovic faces a imaginable six-month penalty sentence for not turning 40, but the case was settled when he agreed to pay 30,000 euros ($36,000).
When the Spanish league resumed, Jovic left because of a foot injury he suffered while studying at home and missed even more games after positive for coronavirus in November.
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane gave Jovic little chance, but said in October that the striker was a vital component of his team. Zidane said he had asked Madrid to signal Jovic and rejected reports of a rupture between them.
If Jovic can continue to score for Frankfurt, it may also be what the club wants to realize its potential. Frankfurt has excelled in play-off competitions in recent years with a Name of the German Cup and a race to the semi-finals of the Europa League. However, it has not been able to exceed half of the table in the Bundesliga. After Sunday’s victory, the team is 3 editions away from the Champions League places.
“For Luka, it’s amazing that he’s come back here, where he’s achieved his most productive time and where he feels good,” said Frankfurt coach Adi Hutter. “Marking two goals like that proves their class. “
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AP Sports Tales Azzoni in Madrid and Associated Press Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to the report.
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