Manex Lozano bounces back from Barça blunder with crucial goal for Racing
The 18-year-old Lezama academy product showed character by scoring in his second consecutive match for Racing Santander after his Copa del Rey miss against Barcelona.
After a week of chin-wagging about his costly Copa del Rey miss against Barcelona, young Manex Lozano has answered his critics in the best possible way.
From villain to hero
The 18-year-old forward found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons when he fluffed a golden opportunity against Barcelona in the dying moments of Racing Santander’s cup tie. With a teammate completely unmarked and the chance to force extra time, Lozano went for glory himself and missed, with Barça punishing the error by scoring moments later to seal a 2-0 win.
But what separates the wheat from the chaff in football is how players respond to setbacks, and the lad from Lezama has shown he’s got proper bottle about him.
Making amends
In a crucial Segunda División clash against Las Palmas with top spot at stake, Lozano was handed a starting berth due to Racing’s attacking injury crisis. The youngster repaid his manager’s faith by opening the scoring with a clinical finish after receiving the ball from Iñigo Vicente, taking it wide and slotting it past goalkeeper Horkas.
The raw emotion was evident in his celebration, with his teammates rushing to embrace him – a clear sign of the squad’s unity and support for the young talent.
José Alberto’s faith rewarded
Racing manager José Alberto had publicly backed his young forward after the Barcelona disappointment, telling reporters: “I value Manex’s personality and ambition to take responsibility. He has a winner’s mentality – these are the players I want in my team.”
That faith has been swiftly vindicated, with Lozano now scoring in consecutive matches since his loan arrival from Athletic Bilbao’s famed Lezama academy just over a week ago. He came off the bench in his debut last Saturday and found the net – now he’s proven it was no flash in the pan.
For an 18-year-old to show such mental strength after a high-profile mistake speaks volumes about his character. Racing Santander look to have found themselves a proper player.