Trinidad and Tobago's Levi Garcia scored the winner in his first start for AEK Athens on Sunday in the Greece Super League. Garcia opened the scoring in a 3-0 rout of bottom-placed Lamia in the 14th minute.
The 22-year-old slotted in a loose ball in the penalty area with a right-footed shot. Garcia was substituted in the 46th minute as his team scored two more in the second half to make the three points certain.
Garcia joined AEK Athens two weeks ago on a €2.2 million transfer from Beitar Jerusalem in Israel.
The victory saw AEK Athens move to second in the standings with two wins from two matches.
Garcia made his debut for the club last week, coming off the bench in a 1-0 win over former T&T striker Jerren Nixon club; St Gallen in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match.
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Garcia to 'give everything' in Europa League playoff
By Narissa Fraser (T&T Newsday)
T&T’s Levi Garcia recently made his debut in the Greece Super League with his new team AEK Athens, and the 22-year-old midfielder is ready to help his team reach the UEFA Europa League group stage. He and his teammates will take on VlF Wolfsburg in the play-offs on Thursday.
Garcia shared these aspirations in an interview on Nova Sports after a 3-0 win against Lamia on Sunday. He opened the scoreboard in the 14th minute, his first goal since joining the club two weeks ago on a €2.2 million transfer from Beitar Jerusalem in Israel.
The speedy attacker made his debut last week, coming off the bench in a 1-0 win over St Gallen in the third qualifying round for the Europa League.
He said, “It’s been a great pleasure to be here. I got a pretty good welcome and so far it’s been great.
“I’m really happy about the goal and most importantly, we got three points.”
Asked if he expected to be included in the starting XI so soon, he said, “I came prepared for anything and I got my opportunity.”
He added, “I like to make defenders unhappy…
“I believe with time I can do a lot more but it was a good start. I feel comfortable with my team, I feel togetherness with my teammates and so far it’s a building process that’s going good.”
On his team's chances against the Bundesliga club, Garcia added, “With the right attitude, hopefully we can get a win. Everyone is going to give their everything and we will get the job done.”
He believes he made the “right decision” by joining his new team.
“It’s a really exciting moment for me, my family, my country. It’s been a great adventure so far.”
The group stage draw for the Europa League is set to take place on Friday.
Garcia had previously played in four Europa League qualifying matches and two group games with Dutch team AZ Alkmaar in 2016/2017.