Mbwana Samatta living the dream after debut goal

Villa striker Mbwana Samatta said his goal against Bournemouth was the fulfilment of a dream – not only for himself but for everyone in his home country of Tanzania as well.

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Samatta scored on his Premier League debut and, in the process, became the first Tanzanian to score in the division.

However, the £11million signing admitted he wished it had been in a winning cause after the claret and blues went down 2-1 on the south coast as Bournemouth leap-frogged them to move out of the drop-zone.

The result leaves Villa in a perilous position, just one place and one point above West Ham United in the Premier League relegation zone.

“That was my dream, always when I was a kid, until Saturday,” Samatta said.

“It’s a dream come true and for everybody in Tanzania it was a dream to see a Tanzanian player play in the Premier League.”

The 27-year-old, who joined from Belgian side Genk, added: “It’s okay when you score goals as a striker.

“I came here two weeks ago and everybody is looking forward to seeing me score goals. But when you lose a game you cannot be happy because, as a group, we have to win together and lose together. I scored but I’m disappointed because of the result.”