Borussia Dortmund forward Fabio Silva has hailed 'athletic' teammate Felix Nmecha for his stunning bicycle kick against Paderborn in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
The Germany international came off the bench in the match to score a late brace, with his second of the evening being an audacious, overhead attempt in the 89th minute.
As Marcel Sabitzer sent the ball inside the box, Nmecha threw himself into the air to connect with it, unleashing a spectacular bicycle kick that's already seen as the goal of the season in the German league so far.
Silva, who also was on target in the game and even celebrated his goal with his 'best friend' Nmecha by running to the bench, jokingly ruled himself out of scoring such a goal.
"Only he can score a goal like that because he’s so athletic, has those muscles, and can stretch that far. If I try that, I’ll hurt myself."
Nmecha replaced Joey Veerman shortly after the hour mark when Dortmund were still only 1-0 up, and took the initiative upon himself to seal the game for them with a late double.
He opened his account for the evening in the 80th minute with a powerful strike from Maximilian Beier's pass before the audacious overhead kick for 3-0, nine minutes later.
Silve later revealed that he told Nmecha he'd be vital in the proceedings after the midfielder comes on, with the former himself making a difference off the bench against Hoffenheim last weekend.
"He started out on the bench, and of course everyone wants to start from the beginning. But I told him, ‘You’re going to be important.’ Last weekend, I came off the bench, did my job, and was important to the team. That’s why I told him the same thing. "
Under Niko Kovac, Dortmund have relied heavily on substitutes to get them through. Last season, only Bayern Munich substitutes scored more in the league (20) than Dortmund's (19).
In the new season too, the substitutes have accounted for six of their goals already; four direct goals and two assists in all competitions.
However, Silva feels that they have an excellent squad with whom they can compete fiercely on all fronts and hence wants to push everyone to their best.
"I try to push everyone so they can be important to us. Because, as I always say, I think we have a great group and a great roster this season. I believe we can compete for big goals this season. That’s the most important thing."
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