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Juve boss Thiago Motta lauded his young side for their valiant efforts and praised the attitude of the young Belgian Samuel Mbangula and American Weston Mckennie, who netted for the Bianconeri.
Juventus head coach Thiago Motta directs his team during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between S.L. Benfica and Juventus FC at Juventus stadium in Turin, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP)
Serie A giants posted a 2-1 win over Dutch side PSV in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff for a berth in the Round of 16 in the revamped format of the elite European tournament.
Weston Mckennie opened the scoring for the Old Lady before Ivan Perisic’s strike for the Dutchmen cancelled out the American’s goal. 21-year-old Samuel Mbangula gave the Bianconeri the win with a 82nd-minute goal after coming off the bench.
Juve boss Thiago Motta lauded his young side for their valiant efforts and praised the attitude of the young Belgian who netted the winner.
“We are a young team that has to inject a lot of pace into the game in order to cause problems for teams. Once again today, the players who came off the bench raised the level of the team,” Motta began.
“I am very happy with Mbangula. He presses, he dribbles, he scores goals. He always has a fantastic attitude, he always gives everything,” the former Italy international added.
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Motta also praised his American star Mckennie while also acknowledging the fight PSV put up in the fixture with a place in the UCL Ro16 up for grabs.
“McKennie is a great player and an important figure in the group, he is a top player and that’s why he plays everywhere and often,” the 42-year-old said.
“It was an even game against a team that wants to play good football and does it well. This victory is only the first step, in the second leg we have to put in a great performance to progress to the Round of 16,” the Juve gaffer added.
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Juventus will take on PSV in the return on the 19th of February at the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven.