Usain Bolt has scored two goals against Macarthur in his second appearance for the Central Coast Mariners.
The world’s fastest man was put into space and ran to the left side of the box before unleashing a low left-footer which powered into the back of the net.
It was an impressive strike from the former sprinter which may help him secure an A-League contract with the Mariners.
“It was a big deal, scoring a goal in my first real match is a big deal. To score two goals, it’s a good feeling, it’s what I’m working towards, I try to improve myself, I try to get better and I’m doing that.”
Mariners fans went wild as Bolt showed his trademark celebration after scoring.
His second-half goal against Macarthur South West United put the Mariners 3-0 up, as almost 6000 people packed in to see the Olympic legend, and then added a gift second – but in reality, he could have scored a few more in the 4-0 win.
It was nearly the dream start for Bolt when in the second minute, a mix-up at the back saw the ball at the feet of the Jamaican near the halfway line, with only green grass in front of him.
You could sense the crowd gasp with excitement as the man of the moment had the ball and looked to set up a foot race to the opposing goal. Bolt showed that running with a ball at your feet is a much more difficult task. His first touch was clumsy and he never recovered, barely making it to the 18-yard box before a covering tackle saw the ball roll away for a corner.
“I just panicked a little bit,” Bolt said of that early chance.
“The coach said to me, you’ll get chances, you’ll score some, you’ll miss some, don’t put your head down, keep your head up and try for the next one,” he said.
“It caught me surprised and I panicked a bit and over-kicked the ball. But the more you play, the more you learn and you get more accustomed to the game.”
“The more you play, the more you learn and get accustomed to the game.”
Bolt then found out what can happen in the heat of battle, rolling on the ground after a challenge caught him in a sensitive area.
After catching his breath, Bolt was back in the action, beating two players after a lucky bounce before his shot was dampened by strong defending by Macarthur.
When Bolt came from the field in the 75th minute, fans booed the decision.
Mariners’ coach, Mike Mulvey seemed to be happy with Bolt’s performance.
“You’ve got to be happy for him. It’s one of those moments he’ll treasure forever but it was just good football, he shielded the ball well and hit the target. He’s had a couple of chances tonight.”
Do you think Bolt has what it takes to make it in the A-League? Let us know what you think in the commentts below.
