Watch: Sasere dedicates win to Ħamrun Spartans fans

Franklin Sasere dedicated Ħamrun Spartans win over title rivals Gżira to their club fans who are currently unable to watch their team from the stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Nigerian striker was speaking to The Times of Malta after again putting his name on the scoresheet to help the Spartans to an important 2-1 win over Gżira United that consolidated their top placing in the Premier League standings.

For Sasere, this was his 14th goal in the Premier League this season that moved him to second place in the top scorers’ list three adrift of Sta Lucia’s Kevin Ante Rosero.

“We have been preparing for this game for the past week as we knew that it was an important match in the title race,” the towering striker said.

“It was important that we were ready for this match as we wanted to win it for our fans who at the moment cannot be close to us as they cannot come to the stadium, the coaches and the players who are at home who were not selected in the 18-man squad.

“We are grateful for the president who keeps motivating us and works hard to keep us fighting for the title.”

For Sasere, this is his first season in Malta since moving on loan from Swiss giants Lugano and although he has now established himself as one of the most prolific strikers in Malta, at first he struggled to leave his mark.

“When I came here in the summer I struggled because of the pitch as I was not used to play on an artificial turf. Our training ground, the Tedesco Stadium is a synthetic pitch so I needed time to adapt to the conditions.

“But I worked really hard and gradually I got used to the conditions and I am really grateful to the coach and the other players who always keep motivate me. They are always pushing me to keep getting better and I am determined to keep doing my best for the team until we fulfil our objectives.”

On Saturday, Sasere was flanked by veteran striker Seydou Doumbia and the Nigerian striker said it was a dream come true for him to play alongside a forward who he looked up to when he was young.

“I am very happy to be playing with a player of the calibre of Seydou Doumbia,” Sasere said.

“Last season, I watched him closely when I played for Lugano and he was on the books of Sion. He is a phenomenal player. When I was young, I watched him play at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast alongside Didier Drogba and today I have the chance to play with him and that is a dream come true for me.

“Seydou is a player I have always looked up to and the most important thing is that today we have worked together to help the team win the match.”