Babis Kostoulas left the English fans… speechless with his performance in the 5-0 rout of Crystal Palace in the 7th matchday of the Premier League.
The 19-year-old forward put on a legendary performance, emerging as the undisputed star and the most valuable player of the match.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The sanctions to be imposed on Manchester City will be devastating
In the 71 minutes he spent on the field, he managed to deliver a spectacular backheel assist to Ayari and score his team’s fourth goal with a cool finish from inside the box.
Beyond the aforementioned highlights, his contribution on both sides of the field was impressive.
On offense, the young forward was a constant thorn in the side of the opposing defense, recording more shots on goal than any other player on the field with a total of 4, while also making a total of four runs into the opponent’s box. His influence on the game didn’t stop there, as he also led the way in individual plays, recording the most successful dribbles of the match (3).
Furthermore, Kostoulas demonstrated remarkable consistency on the defensive end as well. He was outstanding in one-on-one ground duels, winning 6 out of 8 (a 75% success rate), while significantly helping his team regain possession quickly, recording 4 ball recoveries in the opponent’s half.
In this way, the former Olympiacos forward has tallied five goals and four assists in 10 games for Brighton, while his market value recently skyrocketed to 40 million euros (!).
In addition to Babis’s performances, the “Seagulls’” start to the season has also been impressive. Fabian Hurzeler’s team is in 3rd place in the Premier League, 6 points behind leader Manchester City and 2 points behind Arsenal, marking the best start in the club’s history, boasting the league’s top offense with 23 goals and the best defense (tied with the “Gunners”) with just five goals allowed.
The “Daily Mail” published an extensive feature highlighting how the German coach transformed the team into one of the Premier League’s most dangerous attacking sides, making special mention of Babis Kostoulas.
“Who needs Kane when you have Babis Kostoulas?” was the question posed. The comparison of the Greek forward to the English star of Bayern Munich was intended to highlight his tremendous impact on Brighton’s play, which, according to the article, is comparable to that of Harry Kane with the “Bavarians.”
*photo source: AP
