He might have struggled to make an impact in his opening two matches but, when Sydney FC striker Marc Janko pulled the trigger on Friday night, it was an effort that stunned Suncorp Stadium and had the whole league talking.
The marquee man battled away on his A-League debut in the Sydney derby last Saturday and then again during a 45-minute cameo in the FFA Cup defeat to Adelaide United, leaving some wondering how long it would take the Austrian international to adjust.
"For sure, it's one of my top goals but there's no 'I' in team and I couldn't make that goal without the pressure of my teammates": Janko.Credit: Getty Images
However, those fears were put to bed on Friday night when Janko took a ball down with his chest and then volleyed a 40-yard drive into the space behind Brisbane goalkeeper Jamie Young, who watched on helplessly as the ball bounced into the top corner.
"I thought he was way out of his goal and I should just give it a try and see what happens; it all turned out quite good," Janko said upon his arrival at Sydney Airport on Saturday afternoon.
"For sure, it's one of my top goals but there's no 'I' in team and I couldn't make that goal without the pressure of my teammates. Thanks to them, they helped me and I was just a bit lucky."
The strike was one two stunning goals – the other from Milos Dimitrijevic – that helped seal a 2-0 win, one that sent temporarily Sydney to the top the league and Brisbane to the bottom.
"We are very happy to be honest," Janko said. "It's been a long time since we won away in Brisbane, so every one is happy. It was a great team effort with great team spirit and I'm just happy we could get the three points.
"It was a very nice goal from Milos and I'm happy for him that he scores this beautiful goal as well. At the end, as long as the ball goes into the net, I'm happy no matter how we score. Three points is always more important than any beautiful goals."
Coach Graham Arnold said after the match that Janko's training performances left him in no doubt that it was only a matter of time before the striker cut loose.
"[It was] a great goal; we haven't seen anywhere near the best of him," he said. "If you see what he does at training, it's frightening."
Now Janko is adamant there is plenty more to come in the months ahead as he get accustomed to the Australian conditions.
His record in Europe certainly proves his quality, scoring over 100 goals combined from stints in the top tiers of Austria, the Netherlands, Turkey and Portugal. He has also scored 17 goals in 40 international appearances.
"It's difficult to say but there's been a lot of adaptation from my point of view," he said.
"When I arrived here, I was completely out of shape and it took me a while to build it up. The coach is right in saying I'm not 100 per cent yet but I'm working every day, every week, to get my A-game."
Despite leaving behind the intensity of European football, Janko says he is enjoying his Australian experience immensely and is impressed with the quality of the A-League so far.
"I had no expectations at all," he said. "I'm very happy with the standard of the A-League. The teams are pretty good and every one is in good, physical shape.
"I appreciate being here."
As for Dimitrijevic, he, like Janko, preferred to steer the limelight towards the collective performance rather than bask in his individual glory.
"It's a very good goal, a nice goal, but I think it's very important for the team," he said. "It doesn't matter who scored. The most important is this three points. We need to continue now and try to take three points every game."