West Brom and Watford were lucky to witness iconic Ismaila Sarr moment: View | OneFootball

The Senegalese striker produced a bit of magic to open the scoring at the Hawthorns in 2022

Over his four-year spell at Vicarage Road, Ismaila Sarr made plenty of memories for Watford fans, but there is one moment that will stick in Hornets fans’ heads more than most.

The Senegalese attacker was prone to producing moments of magic out of nowhere during his time in Hertfordshire, with a number of stunning strikes peppering his first stint in England after moving from Rennes.

No goal was more iconic than his eye-catching effort at the Hawthorns in August of 2022, as he graced the EFL once again after Watford’s relegation from the Premier League.

It took the frontman just two matches in the second tier to make his presence known, with a goal from his own half silencing the home fans with just 12 minutes of the game gone.

Ismaila Sarr magic moment in Watford, West Bromwich Albion clash

Picture the scene: It’s the Baggies’ first home match of the 22/23 campaign, and the masses in attendance at the Hawthorns are buzzing to back, and looking forward to their side putting in a strong performance as Watford come to town.

Such is the case with early season encounters, the two sides are staking each other out, the first ten minutes sees nothing too much in the way of goalscoring attempts, and as Craig Cathcart heads a clearance towards the halfway line, the game seems to be lacking in tempo.

But step forward Ismaila Sarr - who clearly has other ideas - as he takes down the aerial ball with aplomb, before shifting the ball out of his feet, and unleashing a strike on goal from over 50 yards away, with David Button in no man’s land.

Time almost seems to stand still as the goalkeeper makes his mental judgements, sees the ball coming his way, starts to make a move, knows he is trying in vain, and sees the ball head past him into an unguarded net, leaving the away fans in ecstasy at the other end of the pitch.

The vision, the awareness, the technical ability: it summed up Sarr’s time in a Watford shirt, with his moment of shear brilliance lighting up the stage, and underlining why he was so highly thought of during his time at the club.

To have him at their disposal for a season in the Championship was an absolute joy, as he tormented EFL defenders for a past time, as he went on to net ten times for the Hornets before moving to Marseille the summer after.

Ismaila Sarr’s Watford legacy

Watford were said to have forked out £27 million for Sarr when he moved from Rennes in the summer of 2019, and as a result there was plenty of expectation on his shoulders as he joined the Hertfordshire outfit.

In his first campaign, the Senegalese excelled and frustrated in equal measure, with his exuberance going forward often let down by an inability in front of goal, with just five goals and four assists during his first season at the club.

A strike against Manchester United and a brace against Liverpool were the undoubted highlights during that first 12 months, as he rose to the occasion when his team needed him most.

As was the case with Watford at the time, Sarr was on a constant pendulum between the first and second tiers, and produced his finest work in helping the Hornets back into the Premier League, with 17 goal contributions in the 2020/21 campaign.

But no moment will have been sweeter than that one at the Hawthorns, with the whole home crowd stunned into silence by the magic they saw before them.

With the benefit of time, those of an Albion persuasion will be able to appreciate just what they saw before their eyes that day in the Black Country, with one of the most exciting players to grace the Football League demonstrating his class in the greatest of manners.