Brighton’s Jahanbakhsh explains reason behind the tears following his first goal for the club

Brighton recorded a 2-0 win over Bournemouth at home on Saturday, a victory proving to be extra sweet for their once club-record signing Alireza Jahanbakhsh as the forward scored his first goal for the Seagulls since his move to the Amex last year.

Jahanbakhsh set Brighton back £17million when he joined in 2018 but failed to live up to his price tag. He’s hardly found favour under manager Graham Potter this season but didn’t take long to register his first goal for the side against the Cherries on the weekend, finding the back of the net in the third minute.

The Iranian was visibly moved after breaking his duck and was unable to hide his emotion as he broke down in tears. He explained his reason for crying after the game.

“It was a great feeling after a long time,” he said, via talkSPORT. “Before the game I felt good and we’ve been doing great in the last couple of games as a team but we’ve been unlucky. This game we had to finish it in the best way possible.”

It must have been a lot of pressure having to go through such a drought, having signed for the club last July, as their biggest-ever signing at that. But the striker is finally off the mark and it’s hoped that he could build on that.

“I’m very glad to score and help the team win the game,” he continued. “I’ve been waiting for this chance for a long time and I’ve tried to do my best for the team and I’m very happy to help the team with a goal. We’ve done everything as a team and I tried to be part of the win today.”

Jahanbakhsh is just the third player who hails from Iran to score a goal in Premier League competition. It took him 27 appearances since his move from AZ Alkmaar nearly a year-and-a-half ago.

“So, an important three points and good for everybody I think, good for the supporters to get a clean sheet and maybe could have got another goal but in the end it’s three points that we’re delighted with,” Graham told reporters after the game.

The Seagulls are 14th in the league standings, having opened a five-point gap between themselves and 18th-placed Aston Villa. They’re currently 1/66 to stay up with Skybet while Bet365 have them to relegate at 14/1. Norwich City are the bookies’ favourites to go down at the end of the season, with Betfair offering odds of 1/12 to that end.

Potter’s side are set to face Chelsea on the first day of 2020 and are 11/4 to win with Ladbrokes while Paddy Power have odds of5/6 going on Frank Lampard’s young Blues. Meanwhile, fans interested in betting on upcoming Premier League games or other outrights could find the best tips, previews and predictions at https://www.oddsmanager.co.uk/.

As it pertains to the Seagulls’ upcoming clash against the Londoners, Neal Maupay is 4/1 to score the first goal of the game with Skybet while Glenn Murray is currently at 5/1. Tammy Abraham is favourite in that regard at 14/5.