After spending time on the sidelines with an abdominal injury, Brajan Gruda returned to action on Tuesday night, starting RB Leipzig’s Champions League clash with PSV at the Red Bull Arena.
The attacking midfielder marked his comeback in style, scoring the only goal of the game to secure a 1-0 victory for Leipzig.
“I think it feels great, to be honest. I was injured, and now I’m back and able to play from the start. It feels amazing, especially with the goal and the three points," Gruda said after the game, according to UEFA.com.
Reflecting on the performance, the 22-year-old added:
“To be honest, the opening minutes were difficult for me and the team. We struggled to get into the game, made too many mistakes and weren’t 100% defensively. But later, especially in the second half, we played much better in my opinion. If we start games the way we finished this one, we can score many more goals.”
RB Leipzig coach Martin Demichelis was delighted to see Gruda make an immediate impact on his return.
“He is a special guy, funny and smart. I’m so happy for him," he said.
"I’ve been able to work closely with him over the past few weeks – first through his rib injury, then his abdominal injury. He wasn’t able to start [in the Bundesliga match] against Frankfurt, but today we made the decision in his favour. That’s exactly what I need as a coach. I’m so proud of the squad.”