Valencia CF achieved a very important 4-1 victory against Real Madrid on LaLiga Matchday 9, and one of the stars of the night was Carlos Soler. The VCF Academy product was deadly from the penalty spot, and became the first player in the 21st century to score a hat trick of penalties in a single game.
After the match, the midfielder spoke to VCF Media, explaining what he thought the win would do for the squad.
"It could be a turning point that makes us believe in ourselves more than ever. Against Getafe we deserved a little more, and this week we told ourselves that if we played the same way we would have a big chance. It is a victory to make us believe in ourselves more. Together we will push on. These are three points for us, but they give us a big boost in morale," he said after the final whistle.
On his hat-trick, Soler commented that "It's not something that you experience every day. It's something strange. I'd been taking the penalties this season, and the responsibility fell to me. I was caught out on the first one, but thankfully we were able to retake it," said the Spaniard.
"My teammates showed me support after the miss, and Maxi told me that I was going to score the retake. Cheryshev did as well. Everybody helped me, and the win is down to everyone."
With the hat-trick comes the right to take the match ball home, and Soler has a special place set aside for it.
"I'm going to keep this where I store all of my trophies from when I was a kid, along with the Copa del Rey. This is a very special day for me. Thank you to everybody who has believed in me. We are very happy."
"I want to tell the fans that we aren't going to stop. This is a tough time, but we will get through it."
"Gayà continues to have great games," continued Soler. "All of the team are playing well. It would be wrong not to mention everybody. Racic was phenomenal, and so were those who came on in the second half. We have to thank them for their effort, and we will be going for more next time."