Chelsea loanee Matt Miazga is delighted to have won his first trophy in Europe as he lifted the KNVB Cup with Vitesse.
Vitesse claimed a 2-0 win over AZ in Rotterdam thanks to two goals from Ricky van Wolfswinkel, but Miazga helped his side earn a clean sheet to lift their first trophy since they were founded in 1892.
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The 21-year-old, who left Chelsea on loan on transfer deadline day, revealed his pride at earning his first major honour away from the United States and he was happy to be part of football history in the Netherlands.
"I got a lot of messages from family, friends and people back in the United States as well as people from Chelsea," Miazga told reporters after the victory parade. "I won two supporter shields with my time at New York Red Bulls, but this was my first cup final in Europe.
"The experience was amazing! The joy of winning the first major trophy for the club, the atmosphere of the game and most importantly what it meant to the supporters and city will never be forgotten.
"To be honest, at first I was a bit nervous that I might be injured for a while but the way my hamstring recovered after a few days with a lot of treatment, I knew it would be good to go for the cup final.
"We had a bus tour and celebration parade around the city and then at the end of it in the city centre we had a big stage where we were embraced by more then 20,000 people."
Congrats to defender @MattMiazga3 and @MijnVitesse on winning the #DutchCup!
— U.S. Soccer (@ussoccer) April 30, 2017
pic.twitter.com/JlZKBFBtFM
Miazga joined Chelsea for £3.5 million in January 2016 but he made only two appearances under Guus Hiddink before leaving for Vitesse on deadline day.
He will be set for talks at the end of the season with Chelsea officials about whether he can break into Antonio Conte's squad but Miazga thinks he has developed in his season away from Stamford Bridge.
"We have two more league games left in the season before the season officially finishes but so far it's been a really good learning experience," He added. "On the pitch, I have been getting valuable game time, developing and working hard to continue to progress as a player.
Het werd de dag van #KNVBBeker #aftermovie pic.twitter.com/fNWOKjgrOt
— KNVB (@KNVB) May 1, 2017
"Off the pitch I've been living in a different country, different culture and maturing a lot. When the season finishes then I will find out plans for next season and eveything will be sorted but as of right now, to be honest, this Sunday we have a game vs Utrecht and I want to win that game and continue on good form."