All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic grabbed a slice of football history on Thursday, becoming the second Kiwi to find the net in the Champions League since its inaugural season.
Turning out for Red Star Belgrade, Stamenic finished from close range in the second half of their 3-1 defeat to Leipzig.
His 70th minute strike briefly sparked hopes of a comeback for the Serbian champions - reducing the deficit to 2-1 - before the German side confirmed the result with Dani Olmo’s 84th minute goal.
It’s another milestone moment for Stamenic, who continues to turn heads with his maturity, poise and ability to develop and improve.
Thursday’s game was his sixth appearance in Uefa’s premier club tournament, after three matches last season for FC Copenhagen.
The 21-year-old is the first Kiwi to score in the Champions League since the incomparable Wynton Rufer, who set the competition alight in the inaugural 1993-94 season, claiming a share of the Golden Boot.
Rufer only got one chance to play in the Europe’s top club tournament - as back then it was limited to teams that took out their national league - but he made the most of it. His Werder Bremen team took out the Bundesliga in the 1992-1993 season, with Rufer scoring a career-high 27 goals during that campaign.
That achievement booked their place in the first-ever Champions League in 1993-1994 (rebranded from the European Cup), where Rufer continued his hot form. He scored three goals in two games against Belarus champions Dinamo Minsk in the first round, before another crucial strike in the second round against the best team from Bulgaria (Levski) to qualify Bremen for the last eight, 3-2 on aggregate.
In that stage, Bremen were paired with AC Milan, Porto and Anderlecht in group B and Rufer managed four more goals. He grabbed a brace in a memorable 5-3 win over Anderlecht and also found the net away to Porto and against AC Milan. His final tally of eight goals in 10 games made him the competition’s leading scorer, alongside Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman.
Thursday’s result means Leipzig stay second in Group G, three points off leaders Manchester City, but move five points clear of third place after City won 3-1 against Swiss club Young Boys in the other game.
