Fiorentina goalkeeper, David de Gea reportedly showered praises on Antony after his old Manchester United teammate scored an incredible goal against him in the Conference League.
Arguably one of the worst deals in United’s history, Antony has seemed to have been handed a new lease on life following a January loan move from Old Trafford to Real Betis.
On Thursday night, he maintained his impressive play as the Spanish team defeated De Gea’s Fiorentina 2-1 in the first leg of their Conference League semifinal.
In the 64th minute, Antony scored the game-winning goal with a stunning volley that thundered into the top-right corner from just outside the area.
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The 25-year-old’s usage of his weaker right foot, which he hardly ever utilized at United and which took De Gea by surprise, added to the strike’s exceptional quality.
“I trained with Antony 1,000 times and he never scored a goal with his right foot in any training session, but now he is in confidence and is proving the player he is,” the keeper said post-match as echoed by The Metro.
“I’m happy for him because he was coming from a difficult moment at United and now he’s showing the best of himself.”
Next Thursday is the day of the second leg of the semi-final in Florence. The winner advances to the Conference League final, where they will probably play Chelsea, who defeated Djurgardens 4-1 in the first leg of their encounter.
After just four goals and two assists in his final 18 months at United, Antony has already scored six goals and provided four assists in 19 games for Betis, marking an incredible turnaround.
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