Arsenal loanee scores 1st goal following January move | OneFootball

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Arsenal loanee Marquinhos shared his delight on social media after scoring the first goal of his spell with Cruzeiro on Thursday night.

Photos via @pedrovalefoto and @yurilaurindofoto on Instagram

After a year with Fluminense, Marquinhos moved to Cruzeiro on loan earlier this month, and he’s quickly claimed a spot in the starting lineup.

Marquinhos has started three of Cruzeiro’s four matches since his arrival, and he came off the bench for the entire second half in the only game he didn’t start.

Yet his first three appearances hadn’t brought any goals or assists, so it was good for the 21-year-old to get off the mark against Itabirito on Thursday night.

Photo via Marquinhos on Instagram

Taking up a position on the wing, Marquinhos was part of an impressive first-half performance. Cruzeiro were already 2-0 up when he headed home from the centre of the box in off the right post.

Gabriel Barbosa had scored the other two goals, and the striker completed his hat-trick with a penalty in first-half injury time. The penalty stemmed from a clever set-piece, with Marquinhos feinting to shoot before sliding a pass to an attacker running in behind the wall.

The subsequent cross was handled by a defender, leading to the spot-kick after a VAR check.

Itabirito pulled one back from the penalty spot in the second half, but it finished 4-1 to Cruzeiro, with Marquinhos playing 83 minutes.

Photo via Marquinhos on Instagram

“Great night!” Marquinhos wrote on Instagram afterwards. “Very happy for my first goal for the club and for this beautiful victory. Let’s go @cruzeiro it’s just beginning