Marco Reus was delighted with his comeback performance in Borussia Dortmund's 8-4 record-breaking defeat of Legia Warsaw at the Westfalenstadion on Tuesday.
Champions League history was written as Dortmund's rolled over Legia in the highest-scoring game ever in the competition.
And Reus, 27, starting for the first time after being sidelined for 185 days due to injury, led the line for Dortmund, officially scoring a twice -- though he initially appeared to have scored a hat trick -- and playing a part in three other goals in his first 90 minutes of the season.
"I was overjoyed to play from the beginning," Reus told Sky. "This is how you imagine a comeback after such a long time. I was looking forward to this moment and have worked very hard for it."
The midfielder picked up an abductor injury at the German Cup final in May 2016, where Dortmund ultimately lost to Bayern Munich on penalties.
Reus added: "I didn't toil myself to death today, but I tried to be aggressive and play my game. The game did me well today."
Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel also praised Reus, saying. "The last weeks were fantastic for Marco because he trained on a very high level," the 43-year-old told his postmatch news conference.
"Though you couldn't expect a hat trick in the first match without even having played a friendly. It was an incredible comeback from Marco Reus and shows how much quality we missed without him."
Although lacking a rational explanation for the match, the manager had to console goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, who could do little about the four goals Dortmund allowed against the reigning Polish champions.
Tuchel added: "Apparently something like that [8-4 scoreline] never happened before, which makes it tough to analyse the game so shortly after. There was a lot to be desired individually, in our defensive tackling, and in our prevention of counter-attacks. I feel sorry for Roman Weidenfeller. I will point out the calamitous errors to the team."
The Ruhr Side was already qualified for the round of 16 heading into the tie against Legia. They sit two points clear in Champions League Group F but could lose their spot to Real Madrid.