Sunderland youngster Benjamin Kimpioka bagged a header and his first senior goal against Carlisle United.
Sunderland youngster Benjamin Kimpioka bagged his first senior goal within just 123 seconds of his first start in Jack Ross’ side against Carlisle United last week.
The Swede netted a beautifully timed header to put his side 1-0 up early on in the match and his constant pressing of opposition defenders caught the eye of the Sunderland faithful.
And in an interview with the Swedish national team’s official website, Kimpioka admitted he loves playing with the pressure that comes with first-team football.
When speaking about his chance to play in the Sunderland first team, Kimpioka said: “It’s a big difference to get to work out and play first team football with professional players who live with football full time. It’s also a lot more pressure, which I love to play with.
“It’s a dream to do it at this age. I’m grateful for it while I want more. That motivates me. It’s a difference to play an under-23 match with maybe 1000 people compared to playing with the first team and it’s 30,000 who are watching and judging you.”
Kimpioka certainly won’t have expected to play in many of Sunderland’s first-team games so early on in the campaign, but the striker had impressed in the youth setup for a while and earned his chance last week.
The appearance against Carlisle certainly won’t be the end for the youngster, with the in-form Josh Maja the only other fit striker in the Sunderland squad, meaning Kimpioka will be on the bench for the foreseeable future.
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