Japanese midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata shrugged off his recent lackluster form and got his name on the scoresheet as Parma brushed aside Brondby 3-0 in the third round, second leg of the UEFA Cup in Copenhagen on Thursday.
Parma outclassed its Danish opponent as goals from Patrick Mboma and Sabri Lamouchi sealed a 4-1 aggregate win to sweep Daniel Passarella's side into the fourth round.
Nakata, who has been left on the substitute's bench in recent matches, was given a place in the starting lineup as Passarella changed his preferred 4-4-2 formation to 3-5-2 and the former AS Roma star repaid his manager with a goal in the second half.
Despite a nervous start, Nakata found his rhythm midway through the first half and in the 58th minute fired an angled shot past Brondby goalkeeper Mogens Krogh.
Nakata, who was substituted in the 84th minute, insisted that there is still a great deal of room for improvement and he still has a point to prove.
"I didn't think my performance was anything special at all. What's more important now is to prove to people that I can play a lot better (than I did tonight)," said Nakata.