14 April 2015
Arturo Vidal says gaining a quarter-final first-leg foothold was all that mattered for the Bianconeri as they defeated Monaco 1-0 during tonight’s Champions League clash in Turin.
The Chilean international’s second-half spot-kick proved enough to see the Juventus take a slender lead over their Ligue 1 opponents at the halfway point in the tie.
Speaking to Sky, he began: “We’re in the quarter-finals, up against a side who played very well and showed that when facing Arsenal. Winning was all that mattered today and we achieved that.”
The 27-year-old, who ended an eight-game run without a goal in Europe when he buried his second-half penalty past Danijel Subasic into the roof of the net, ended his interview by saying he had no qualms about taking the decisive kick despite his earlier miss.
“We don’t have a pecking order in the squad as far as penalties are concerned. Whoever feels most confident takes it. I wanted it and Carlos [Tevez] agreed with me.
“When I missed my effort at the end of the first half, I thought that the goal might be cursed but when I saw my wife in the stands, the tension disappeared. Luckily my strike arrived soon after and a weight was lifted from my shoulders.”
