Mihalio Ivanovic is making The Den his own.
The 20-year-old Serbian striker scored twice in Millwall’s crucial 3-1 win over Norwich City on Easter Monday, marking his second brace on home turf this month after netting twice against Portsmouth on April 5.
Ivanovic’s opener against the Canaries saw him reach double figures for the season in league goals—a milestone he admitted felt particularly sweet in front of the home crowd.
“It’s great to score two, especially at The Den again, wonderful feeling,” said Ivanovic.
“I knew Femi [Azeez] was going to put the straight ball in. I was hoping it was going to come straight to me, but it bounced off somebody, I just needed to think fast and I took it with my knee—it went just inside, that’s the important thing.”
The Serbian’s second goal came via a header—something he holds a particular affection for.
“I was hoping the ball was coming my way,” he explained. “I saw Sav [George Saville] landing it at the first post so I just went there and headed it. It’s the most wonderful thing to score a header for me. I don’t know why, but I love scoring headers.”
Now with 11 league goals in his debut Championship season, Ivanovic admitted he wasn’t sure what to expect coming into English football.
“I’m not sure what to say about that because it’s a hard league, especially for the first few games,” he said. “It’s difficult, but when you get used to it with your team-mates and your team is good, it’s my job to score the goals.”
Since Alex Neil’s arrival at Millwall, Ivanovic’s form has notably improved. The striker credits Neil’s coaching for helping refine his movement in and around the box.
“One month after he arrived, he saw that maybe I had something to improve on a little bit more and he has helped me a lot with the movement—on the second post, first post, when to go and when not to go,” Ivanovic said. “He has helped me a lot.”
Millwall remain in the hunt for a play-off place, and Ivanovic says the collective spirit is driving individual success.
“We are, as a team, in good form, on a good run, competing for the play-offs still,” he said. “So I can give credit only to my team-mates and my coach—that’s it, that’s the reason I am in good form.”
A key part of that good form has been his growing partnership with fellow striker Josh Coburn, with Neil opting for a two-man frontline in recent games.
“Josh Coburn is an amazing player. I love playing with him up front because he is a little bit taller than me and he can fight for the ball,” said Ivanovic.
“I can wait in the spaces a little bit more and there are two guys in the box always for the crosses. I love playing with Josh.
“We are two against two then against defenders. He helps me a lot and I try to help him as much as I can because he is used to this league and I am new. We speak a lot, we are good friends also, so it’s really good.”
As for his goal target for the season, Ivanovic remained tight-lipped.
“There is still more to come,” he said. “We will see at the end of the season how it goes. We will see—I am in the battle for it, but we will see if I hit it.”
