Didier Deschamps has breathed a huge sigh of relief after Juventus snatched a late winner at Modena on Monday night.
An 86th minute Matteo Centurioni own goal was enough for the Bianconeri to collect a 1-0 win, their first on the road since December 19, and return to the top of the Serie B table.
“
I had almost given up hope
, having dominated the first half we paid for our efforts in the second,” explained the Coach.
“The substitutions didn’t help either, but we got back on track in the last 15 minutes and deserved a goal for our efforts.
“It would have been a real shame had we not won, but I am happy with the team’s attitude throughout – it was spot on right from the beginning.”
Substitute Valeri Bojinov, who is currently in Turin on a co-ownership deal from Fiorentina, proved decisive as his cross for David Trezeguet was headed into his own goal by a diving Centurioni.
“Valeri hasn’t been granted much playing time recently, but when I saw that Del Piero was flagging I thought I’d make the change,” added DD.
“It wasn’t easy for him to immediately adapt to the match, but he did very well.
“It was a positive performance, for him and for us. He has quality, he just needs to grow and have patience.”
Pavel Nedved was also pleased with the win, although he admits it wasn’t easy at all.
“It was a challenging match and we did very well, especially in the first half,” noted the Czech player.
“We should have been more precise, but sometimes this is how you win. We had many scoring opportunities and they had hardly any. I am content with how we played.”
Football Italia 