Claudio Marchisio admitted that Juventus had been “a little lucky” in
its Europa League victory over Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday night.
A goal up from the first leg of their quarterfinal tie at the Gerland,
the Bianconeri looked poised to coast into the last four when Andrea
Pirlo broke the deadlock after just four minutes of play in Turin with
a trademark free kick.
However, Jimmy Briand dragged Lyon right back into it with his
18th-minute header and Juve needed a deflected effort from Marchisio
midway through the second half to finally break its French foes’ game
resistance.
“We absolutely knew that it would not be easy to reach the
semifinals,” the midfielder told Sky Sport Italia.
“We started very well. Then, however, we suffered a little setback
when they equalized.
“It’s clear that my goal was a little lucky, but now we will go
forward and fight right until the end with our intent to complete our
objectives.”
Star striker Carlos Tevez once again failed to find the net for Juve
in Europe this season, meaning it is still five years since the
Argentine netted in continental competition.
However, Marchisio insisted that the Argentine, who had a goal
disallowed for offside, had played his part in the Old Lady’s
progression to the semifinals.
“The important thing is that the team wins,” the Italy international
mused. “In these cases, it’s not necessary to focus on individuals.
“Carlos is a great champion who helps the team greatly even when he
doesn’t score. His presence this season has helped us to grow in so
many ways.” – GOAL.com via Yahoo Sports
