In the 90th minute of Eintracht Frankfurt’s Bundesliga encounter against Schalke this evening, Luka Jovic came off the bench to score a brace on his first game since being loaned back by Real Madrid.
Jovic personally requested to leave Madrid this month per Fabrizio Romano, an asking which Zinedine Zidane duly approved, in an effort to get his career back on track after a nightmare 18 months in Spain.
The 23-year-old came on for his second debut for Eintracht – technically even third if you count ones for his loan to the German outfit from Benfica and then permanent move separately – in the 62nd minute.
It took the the ace just 10 minutes to hit the back of the net with a thunderous effort, Jovic then made it a brace on his return in the 90th minute.
Jovic latched onto a through ball from Filip Kostic – his compatriot and creator of his first goal tonight – before he used a brilliant, cutting turn inside to beat his defender and create space.
The striker than showed the clinical ability that earned a big-money move to Madrid in the first place as he drilled the ball into the near post corner.
¡JOVIC ESTÁ DE VUELTA! Doblete del ariete serbio para colocar el 3-1 del Eintracht Frankfurt ante el Schalke 04.
?27 minutos le bastó al serbio para anotar su PRIMER DOBLETE en la Bundesliga 20/21.pic.twitter.com/QMxZ468sb4
— Express Futbol (@ExpressFutbolCL) January 17, 2021
Pictures from Eleven Direto and BT Sport.
Los Blancos signed the Serbian from Frankfurt in the summer of 2019 for an initial fee of €65m, as per the Guardian, but scored just two goals and two assists in 32 appearances for the club.
Jovic only started in 11 of those 32 outings and with just five appearances so far this season it was clear that an exit on loan was ideal, with Frankfurt – the club he established stardom – the perfect destination.
It’s not surprising to see Jovic hitting the ground running – and Madrid will be hoping it continues – as the ace bagged three goals and two assists for Serbia in four outings in the last two international breaks.