27 January 2016
Twenty games had passed without finding the target, but now Alvaro Morata has two to celebrate in one night, as his brace sent Juventus on their way to a convincing 3-0 win over Inter in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday evening.
Relieved to have ended a goal drought that had dated back to his strike against Bologna on 4 October 2015, Morata stressed how he felt he had finally turned a corner and now intended to kick on from tonight’s personal and collective triumph.
He began: “It’s not been easy. I’ve had a few problems off the field too, which I’m making sure don’t affect my football.
“Scoring tonight was very important, but in the end I managed it. I work every day to be in top condition. Right now I’m a completely different player to before and I now expect to continue in this vein.”
Morata reserved special praise to his team-mates, admitting that their unwavering support had helped him emerge from his initial difficulties.
“I’ve gone through a tough period and I hope that’s over with now. It was a crucial evening for me. I’d like to thank all of the guys, they’re incredible. They’ve kept behind me through thick and thin.”
