Espanyol's Wu Lei became the first Chinese footballer to score against Barcelona on Saturday and has revealed how the goal that went viral was planned while he was warming up.
Wu earned Espanyol a dramatic 2-2 draw at the RCDE Stadium after he fired in an 88th-minute equaliser to salvage a point in the all-Catalan clash of La Liga's top against bottom.
The 28-year-old drove decisively past Barcelona's stand-in goalkeeper Neto and into the far corner but his goal owed much to a brilliant reverse pass too, executed by his team-mate Matias Vargas.
Both players had been introduced by new coach Abelardo Fernandez in the second half and Wu said after the match that Vargas had predicted he would give him a chance.
"I am very happy, not just because I scored but because of that assist," Wu told Espanyol TV.
"When we were warming up, Matias told me he was going to put me in with a through ball. After 10 minutes he played one to me and I scored."
Wu joined in the celebrations by writing on Weibo: "Wonderful night, a new year, a good start."
- Chinese Maradona -
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"We thank all the fans who supported us because they give us unity. We are all a family together."