Amauri appeases his inner child with Juve
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Article summary
Juventus striker Amauri was glad to have realised "something I've been dreaming about since I was eight years old" as his first UEFA Champions League goal proved to be decisive in the 2-1 defeat of Real Madrid CF.
Article top media content
Article body
Crucial goal
Amauri appeared at the far post to meet Pavel Nedvěd's cross with a powerful header four minutes into the second half, adding to Alessandro Del Piero's early opener to help his side to a 2-0 lead that proved crucial, given that Ruud van Nistelrooy reduced the arrears midway through the second half. The importance of the moment was not lost on the Brazilian-born striker, who signed from US Città di Palermo in the summer. "It was an exceptional feeling," said Amauri, who also scored against FC Artmedia Petržalka in the third qualifying round. "It is something I've been dreaming about since I was eight years old and I can only thank Juve for giving me the opportunity of playing Champions League football. It was a marvellous goal for me. Just starting a match like this was something else but to score the winning goal is something I'll never forget. I'll be proud to tell my kids about it.
'Satisfying win'
"We wanted to prove a lot of people wrong tonight so it was a very satisfying win," he added, referring to the five-match winless run that led to considerable criticism from within the Italian media. "People said that our players were all injured, that the coach had fallen out with our captain but we proved them all wrong. We showed that we are a tight-knit squad and that we can all get back to our best. We can kick on from here. We played a perfect match and we should enjoy this win tonight and then take confidence into our next game."
'Never-say-die attitude'
Del Piero echoed the words of his strike partner, with whom he exchanged a quick one-two before unleashing an unstoppable opening goal five minutes into proceedings. "Let's hope that this renewed enthusiasm can take us as far as possible, that it re-energises us. Our quality, desire to win and never-say-die attitude are important characteristics of this side and we showed them tonight against a very good team. The Champions League gives you a different feeling to other matches and this evening we responded to the challenge. We understood what was required of us and we managed to deliver and prove that we can live with the best in Europe."