West Ham United defender Konstantinos Mavropanos reacts to scoring twice for Greece v Gibraltar
West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos achieved a target he has been “chasing” for a while as he scored his first international goals for Greece.
Greece put last week’s 3-0 loss to the Netherlands behind them with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Gibraltar at AEK Stadium on Sunday [10 September] to get their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign back on track.
Mavropanos, earning his 20th cap for the Euro 2004 winners, converted from a corner in the 23rd minute and used his head for a second time to double his personal tally in the 82nd minute.
Reflecting on his two goals, the 25-year-old is quoted by Greek outlet Gazzetta [11 September] as saying: “I am very happy. I wanted to score a goal – I was chasing it for a long time and I succeeded.
“After the game against Holland we wanted to give everything we had. We had a terrible image, but we look forward. We take it game by game. We want the three points in the next matches.”
Injury free
Mavropanos was signed by West Ham from Stuttgart in a £20million deal last month (Evening Standard, 22 August) with the aim of tightening up their backline.
Should the centre-back also bring the occasional goal at the opposite end of the field, then that is a welcome bonus.
West Ham fans have yet to see Mavropanos up close due to an injury he has been carrying, but that now seems to be very much behind him.
The former Arsenal player will return to East London on a high after his exploits while away on international duty.
But that does not necessarily mean he will slot into the side for the Premier League showdown with Manchester City on Saturday [16 September].
Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma are in possession of the two central-defensive berths, and David Moyes will see no reason for change just yet.
On the basis of this showing with Greece, though, there is plenty to be excited about when it comes to Mavropanos and what he offers.
In other West Ham news, Aguerd has once again been linked with a move away from the London Stadium.