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.

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

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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.”

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