Almost everything pointed to Jerome Akor taking his scoring boots from Norway to Belgium, but instead he headed to Ligue 1 and he has not wasted time to announce himself at a major league with goals.
The 23-year-old striker barely had time to pack his bags and train with his new club Montpellier before his Ligue 1 debut at home against Le Havre.
After a difficult first half, Akor showed why he was leading scorer in Norway with two well-taken goals for Montpellier to draw 2-2 on the opening day of the French top league.
First there was a trademark headed goal and then he followed that up with a drilled shot with his weaker left foot to complete his brace.
He became the first Montpellier player to score twice on his Ligue 1 debut.
Last Saturday, he showed another side to his talent with his hold-up play to help the counter-attacking approach of his new club at Lyon.
He crowned this outing with his team’s fourth goal to wrap up a massive 4-1 win on the road.
His three goals in two matches made him the first Montpellier player in first two games since Tino Costa scored twice in August 2009.
He also matched the record set by Olivier Pickeu in the early 90s to score three in first two games.
Akor could even have set his own record had VAR not ruled out his headed goal off a free kick by captain Teji Savanier at Lyon.
Part of his shoulder was in an offside position according to the VAR.
Montpellier coach Michel Der Zakarian can afford a big smile – for a coach who has been criticised for been defensive, his team have scored six goals in their first two matches of the new season.
The previous highest number of goals after two rounds of matches by the 2011/2012 Ligue 1 champions was five.
Akor Ligue 1 Stats
Minutes Played 167 minutes
Goals 3 Goals
Total Shots 5
Shots On Target 3
Chances Created 1
