Forgotten Sunderland loanee scores first goal for new club with vital stoppage time strike
Sunderland striker Luis Hemir scored for Portuguese side Moreirense over the weekend
Forgotten Sunderland man Luis Hemir has scored his first goal for loan club Moreirense after a relatively sluggish start to the season.
The rangy striker signed for the Black Cats in 2023, but failed to find the net in any of his 24 senior outings on Wearside. Last season, he spent a temporary stint with Juventus’ Next Gen development side in Serie C, but once again endured a similarly barren run in front of goal, registering just two strikes in 27 appearances.
This term, after completing a late loan switch to his native Portugal, Hemir has largely found opportunities hard to come by. He is yet to start a match for Moreirense, and his four substitute appearances to date have totalled just 103 minutes of action.
Nevertheless, it was in his most recent cameo that he made his first notable impact for his new side. Coming off the bench with half an hour left to play, Hemir popped up with a 94th minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw against Estoril Praia on Saturday, running onto an incisive through ball and coolly slotting past the opposing goalkeeper. That result leaves Moreirense seventh in the Portuguese top flight table.
What has Luis Hemir said about his future and the possibility of playing for Sunderland again one day?
But while Hemir continues to get to grips with the rigours of senior football, he is not lacking ambition or the belief that he can come good and reach the upper echelons of the game.
In a recent interview with local Portuguese outlet TSF, when asked about Sunderland’s stellar start to the new campaign back in the North East, the attacker said: “I wish my team all the success, since I’m still a Sunderland player. But I have to focus on where I am and give my 200% for Moreirense. It has truly been an excellent journey and they are very well-prepared. The coach is good and they are in good shape.”
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Hemir was also quizzed on whether his time at Moreirense could yet prove important for a possible return to Sunderland’s first team plans, he responded: “Yes. As I said, I prefer to always think day by day, game by game, and always try to do my best. Then, when the time comes to make decisions, I choose my own future.”
He added: “I still have some goals, and that’s why I fight every day. Obviously, I also want to play at another level, the Champions League level, and one day reach the national team. I believe that one day I will achieve them.”
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