JUVENTUS maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Inter Milan in a thrilling Derby d’Italia on Saturday.
Teenage substitute Vasilije Adzic became the match-winner with a stunning stoppage-time strike that squirmed through Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s fingers.
The victory leaves Juventus level on nine points with Napoli at the top of the table, trailing only on goal difference after three matches.
Adzic had come on for Teun Koopmeiners shortly before Khephren Thuram equalised for Juventus in the 83rd minute to make it 3-3.
“What can I say, it’s a dream to play and score such a hugely important goal for Juve,“ said the Montenegrin midfielder.
Adzic’s heroics overshadowed the contributions of France’s Thuram brothers, who both scored for opposing teams in the match.
Marcus Thuram had headed Inter into a 3-2 lead in the 76th minute after Hakan Calhanoglu twice drew the away team level with superb long-range strikes.
Khephren Thuram then nodded Juventus level before setting the stage for Adzic’s dramatic winner in front of their watching father Lilian Thuram.
“It was a crazy match, loads of goals and end-to-end, and we’re really happy to get a win against such a good team,“ said Juventus coach Igor Tudor.
The defeat leaves Inter stuck on three points after suffering their second straight loss under novice coach Cristian Chivu.
Napoli maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 victory at Fiorentina, with new signing Rasmus Hojlund scoring on his debut.
The champions raced to a two-goal lead within 14 minutes through Kevin De Bruyne’s penalty and Hojlund’s expert finish.
Andre-Frank Anguissa set up Beukema for Napoli’s third goal five minutes after half-time before Luca Ranieri scored a consolation for Fiorentina.
“It’s a very important win today, we won the first three now and want to continue like this,“ Hojlund told Sky.
Roma can join Napoli and Juventus on nine points if they beat Torino on Sunday. – AFP
