I hope Brighton saw my game and my goal

Brighton & Hove Albion’s winter signing Deniz Undav struck a stunning late winner for loan club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise as the Belgian outfit continued their charge towards the Jupiler Pro League title.

With just five minutes to go, the 25-yearold thumped a dipping 20-yards shot past the KV Kortijk keeper from 20-yards to secure a vital 3-2 win for Union on Saturday. The German’s goal saw Les Unionistes, who are bidding for their first Belgian championship in 87 years, maintain their seven point lead at the top of the Jupiler Pro League.

The Seagulls completed a £6m deal for Undav from the Brussels-based club, who are co-owned by Albion chairman Tony Bloom, on January 31.

The striker signed a four-and-a-half year deal at the Amex, but was sent back on loan to Union for the remainder of the campaign.

Saturday’s goal took Undav’s domestic goal tally for the season to 21, more than the likes of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema, Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. Undav’s goalscoring exploits are in stark contrast to Brighton’s. Albion have scored a combined total of 25 goals this campaign, while the Seagulls’ top scorer in 2021-22, Neal Maupay, has netted eight times.

Speaking to Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad, Undav said his red hot form had left him brimming with confidence and he was relishing the prospect of scoring spectacular goals in the Premier League with Brighton.

He said: “[Was it] a lucky goal? I don’t think so. Some have said that I need to get play out of the box more, and now I have.

“The ball bounced a bit, and that helped me. I shot, but at first thought the ball would go over [the bar].”