“it’s pretty comfortably the best I’ve ever seen all my life”- Eliezer Mayenda tribute amid Sunderland star’s temperament verdict after Weaving past four defenders
Sunderland’s Spanish striker scored an incredible solo goal against Bristol City
Luke O’Nien hailed Eliezer Mayenda’s stunning solo strike and praised Sunderland’s resilience, following the battling 2-1 defeat to Bristol City on Good Friday at Ashton Gate.
Ahead of today’s home Championship clash with Blackburn Rovers, the defender heaped praise on the 19-year-old Spain U21 international after his goal when he picked up the ball on the edge of his own 18-yard box before surging forward with purpose.
Weaving past four defenders, Mayenda coolly slotted the ball beyond Max O’Leary on 31 minutes to open the scoring.
His breathtaking 70-yard solo run and finish took his goal contributions for the 2024/25 Championship season to 13, leaving Ashton Gate stunned – especially as Sunderland had been reduced to 10 men following Trai Hume’s seventh-minute red card for a foul on Nahki Wells.
It counted for nothing, though, as Sunderland went on to lose 2-1. O’Nien remained unfazed by the result and full of praise for Mayenda’s moment of magic.
“It’s pretty comfortably the best goal I’ve ever seen live,” he said. “I’d be amazed if I saw that topped. It’s not even a surprise because we’ve seen him do that in training. He’s sharp, and his temperament is incredible.
“A lot of the lads aren’t surprised he did that because he’s one of the sharpest players I’ve ever come across.
“I’ve never seen a player receive the ball 70 yards from goal and think, he’s going to score here. That just shows what sort of player we’ve got.”
O’Nien added: “I’ve really enjoyed seeing him develop. Since the day he joined, he’s worked hard and earned his opportunity.
“He didn’t have the easiest of starts, but he’s a perfect example of what it takes for any young player to succeed. He’s reaping the rewards of his hard work, and it’s great to see.
He continued: “I’m very proud of the lads. We went down to 10 men early on and it became a really tough game. We had to be very well organised and even tighter.
“To limit them to few chances — and for them to score a brilliant goal from distance from their centre-half and a deflected goal — is a bit of a sucker punch.
“It was a really good test for us going into the last few games before the play-offs, and it puts us in good stead for the Blackburn game.”