Hugo Ekitiké (23) experienced a big moment for France on Thursday, as the Liverpool striker scored the fourth goal for Les Bleus in a 4-0 victory over Ukraine.

Afterwards, the Reims-born striker described what netting his first international goal meant to him. “It’s a childhood dream. Whenever I have minutes on the field, I try to show my abilities, and I’m there to help the group, no matter the playing time,” he said post-match.

The Frenchman came on in the second half for Bradley Barcola (23), who came closest to breaking the deadlock for Les Bleus in the first half at the Parc des Princes.

Despite his excellent campaign in the Bundesliga last season at Eintracht Frankfurt and his great start with Liverpool in the Premier League this year, he was only a last-minute call-up by Deschamps in late August after Rayan Cherki (22) went down with an injury.

Before that call-up, Ekitiké had the option of committing to Cameroon, where his father was born. It was clear the current Cameroon boss, Marc Brys, didn’t want to bring him on, mainly because he wasn’t keen on having a player on the national team who would be joining simply as a backup plan.

Ekitiké has three goals in 10 Premier League fixtures for the Reds this season. He has now made five appearances for Les Bleus. Given his form for club and country, he stands a good chance of being on the plane for the World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico next summer.