All in the family for US hattrick hero Weah

NEWDELHI: It has been a big week for the Weah family.

George Weah, who holds the unique distinction as the only African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or, is contesting in the Liberian presidential elections. And if the primary result is any indication, the sports icon is headed for a big win.

His son Tim Weah made sure he was a big winner on Monday. The The livewire of the US FIFA U-17 World Cup made headlines as his hattrick, the second of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, crushed Paraguay 5-0 in the Round of 16 clash at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

CLINICAL FINISH

Tim Weah looked quite dangerous from the start of the game and his brilliant runs down the left flank kept the Paraguay defenders on their toes.

He finally opened his account in the 19th minute when he scored from a measured Ayo Akinola pass inside the box.

He followed it up with a brilliant finish in the 53rd minute. He received the ball outside the box and curled it to the top right corner, leaving the Paraguay defence stunned.

A composed finish in the 77th minute handed him the first hattrick of his career.

“I don’t score a lot of beautiful goals as most of them are tap-ins. But I am proud of my goals today and I would like to thank (Andrew) Carleton and Josh (Sargent) for their brilliant assists.

It was really a special performance for me,” Weah told the media with the USA flag draped around him.

SNAPPED UP BY PSG

The brilliance of Tim Weah is not restricted to the USA team. He was a part of the New York Red Bulls academy, and at the end of last season, completed a move to French champions Paris SaintGermain.

Tim Weah knows it will be hard to break into the first team with a star-studded frontline of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, but is confident his time will come pretty soon.

“I am pretty optimistic of making the first squad at PSG towards the end of the season.

“I am happy I will be able to train with players like Neymar and Mbappe. Let’s hope for the best.”