Schalke's Weston McKennie described his late winner at Lokomotiv Moscow as "a dream come true" after the United States international's first goal for the German club earned them a 1-0 Champions League victory.
Schalke were heading for a stalemate in Russia until McKennie rose to nod in Yevhen Konoplyanka's corner two minutes from time to leave them with four points from their first two Group D games.
The 20-year-old admitted Schalke were grateful to claim the victory in a largely forgettable affair.
"It's a dream come true, not just to play in the Champions League, but also to score my first goal in my professional club career that way," McKennie said in quotes published on UEFA's website.
"I don't really score that often, but I pulled it off today, which was great.
BIG MOOD October 3, 2018
"We had the game in our grip after the break and rewarded ourselves. The relief is huge, we're happy. We won together today. It wasn't all of my own doing."
Last year's Bundesliga runners-up had started their league campaign with five straight defeats, but Domenico Tedesco's side beat Mainz on Saturday and their manager hopes back-to-back wins have kickstarted their campaign.
"Success stories like those against Mainz and now here in Moscow do us a world of good and we've missed them," he added.
"These two wins, both without conceding, were hard-earned by the team."
Lokomotiv coach Yuri Semin had no complaints about the result, even though he was frustrated at the manner of Schalke's winner.
"Football is a fair game so this is a fair result," he said.
"We'd been preparing for their set pieces but still conceded after one, from someone who isn't even one of their tallest players."
