Stuttgart striker Cacau could not have dreamt of a better return to
the team as he netted four of his side's goals in a 5-1 win at
Cologne.
The Germany international has spent over a month on the
sidelines with a groin injury, but he made a dream comeback with
four goals in just over an hour, making it difficult for coach
Christian Gross to recall Ciprian Marica when he returns from
suspension next weekend.
"I was really looking forward to this game after my long
break," admitted Cacau. "And the way the game went makes it
particularly beautiful.
"We put them under pressure from the start and didn't let
Cologne get into the game and then we scored an early goal.
"We then carried on in the second half and never let up."
Cacau's return to the team and to form could not be timed any
better with a Champions League cracker against Barcelona on
Tuesday.
After this morale-boosting win, Cacau sees no reason why his
side should hold any fear of the Champions League holders, who
warmed up with a 4-0 victory over Racing Santander.
"We are now looking forward to Barcelona on Tuesday," he
said.
"We have got to gather our strength for that game and then we
may cause an upset."
Gross praised his team for bouncing straight back after his
first defeat since taking over in December last week against
Hamburg.
"We are delighted about this clear victory," he said on the
club's website.
"That was a good reaction to last week's defeat. I think it
was a great game for the fans."
Nevertheless, the Swiss coach still saw plenty of room for
improvement.
He said: "We did not play a perfect game, but it was still
good and obviously we had an exceptional Cacau and a good Jens
Lehmann."
But while it was a perfect day for Cacau, it was yet another
disappointing one for Cologne striker Lukas Podolski, who has now
gone over 1300 minutes without scoring.
"This is a bad time for me personally, but that can happen in
a footballer's career," he said.
