Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic hailed his team’s spirited performance after their dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday. Despite early injuries and a red card, Juventus fought back to snatch a memorable win.
Juventus suffered a double blow early on, losing captain Gleison Bremer and another key player to injury within the first 12 minutes. After goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio was sent off for handling the ball outside the box in the 59th minute, Leipzig looked set for victory when Benjamin Sesko converted the resulting penalty to put them 2-1 up.
However, Juventus roared back. Vlahovic levelled the score with a spectacular long-range strike—his second goal of the match—before Francisco Conceicao’s solo effort sealed the win.
“During the break, we spoke with (coach) Thiago (Motta) and we left the locker room like a team possessed,” said Vlahovic. “I’m very happy for the team. We played almost a half with 10 men and showed that we were a team, winning deservedly… we pressed them high and succeeded.”
Vlahovic, who also scored a brace in Juventus’ 3-0 Serie A win at Genoa on Sunday, now has four goals in his last two games.
Coach Thiago Motta praised his players’ resilience and attacking mindset, even after being reduced to 10 men. “The courage was not mine but that of my players,” Motta told reporters. “The team gave me the feeling that they were really convinced of what we had talked about before the match.
“Even with one man less, the will was to go forward and hurt the opponents. So why go back? We did well until the last minute.”
“The courage wasn’t mine but that of my players. The team gave me the feeling that they were really convinced of our game plan, and we kept pressing until the very last minute.”
Conceicao, the match-winner, echoed the sentiment, saying that Juventus always plays to win, no matter the circumstances. “We are Juventus. We must try and win against all opponents, and this was a deserved victory.”