Patson Daka was "emotional" after scoring four goals as Leicester City silenced Spartak Moscow 4-3 in Wednesday’s Europa League encounter.
Fuelled by a bright start at Otkrytie Bank Arena, the Gladiators raced to a two-goal lead courtesy of strikes from Alexander Sobolev and Jordan Larsson.
However, the Premier League team bounced back to secure victory with the Zambia international beating goalkeeper Aleksandr Maksimenko four times.
With his formidable performance, Daka became the first Leicester player to score a hat-trick in European competition and the first player to score four goals in a single match for the club in any competition since Derek Hines (vs. Aston Villa in November 1958).
Next Match
Speaking to the club website after the seven-goal thriller, the former RB Salzburg star is lost for words in expressing his delight.
"[It’s a] very emotional night for me," the 23-year-old told LCFC TV.
"It’s so hard to describe in words, to be honest. I’m just thanking God to be in this position today and I’m just happy that I was able to help the team, which was very, very important. It’s a great performance from the team.
"Everyone is so happy for me. I’m sure you saw it on the pitch. Everyone is really happy.
“The atmosphere in the team is really great. We’re supporting each other each and every day and we’re putting the team first, which is very important for us."
When asked to pick his favourite among the four goals scored, he said: "It’s so hard to pick!
"I think I’ll pick the first goal that I scored because it was very important for the team. It gave us more confidence in coming back.
“That goal was really important for my confidence. I just have to keep on building from that.
"Everyone can score, but it’s all about the consistency and that is the greatest challenge.
“I don’t want to dwell on the goals I’ve scored, it’s all about the consistency, I have to continue working hard and making sure I continue doing what I have to do to help the team."
Following the crucial win, Brendan Rodgers’ men occupy second spot in Group C having accrued four points from two matches.
They would be hoping to complete the double over the Russians when they meet in the reverse fixture on November 4.
