About a week after some fans hauled racist insults at Tammy Abraham after losing a penalty kick, he has become the proverbial rejected stone holding the corner.
He, on Saturday, gave Chelsea and embattled Frank Lampard their first win, scoring twice in their 3-2 victory triumph against Norwich.
Observers would hope that Abrahams’ story will serve as a lesson to vindictive and especially racist fans in terms of the temperament needed to handle misses and outright losses.
Football fans can be moody across cultures. In Nigeria, for instance, there have been times fans transfer their support to opponent teams when they feel their teams have derailed.
Till now, many Super Eagles fans still remember ‘devils’ who ruined their teams with own goals just as they still sing abuses of the likes of Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Odion Ighalo for some crucial-hour losses.
AFP reports that Lampard had gone three games without a win in all competitions since he took over as Chelsea manager, but the Blues legend finally got off the mark thanks to his faith in Abraham.
Abraham had failed to score in his three previous appearances this term, but the 21-year-old striker bagged his first goal for the club to put Chelsea ahead in the sunshine at Carrow Road.
“Abraham, who flourished on loan at second tier Aston Villa last season, celebrated by sprinting to the touchline to hug Lampard as the pair were mobbed by their team-mates.
Three minutes later, Chelsea’s creaky defence was exposed by Emiliano Buendia’s burst into the penalty area.
Buendia found Pukki, fresh from last weekend’s hat-trick against Newcastle, and this time the prolific Finland striker was the provider with a low cross that Cantwell turned in from close-range.
Lampard’s team responded in the 17th minute when Norwich were caught in possession outside their own area and Christian Pulisic fed Mount, the 20-year-old midfielder cutting inside and firing home for his second goal of the season.,” it adds.
