21 December 2017
A 30-minute cameo was all he needed to make his mark. Gonzalo Higuain stepped up off the bench in the second half against Genoa and struck Juve's second of the night, effectively putting the encounter to bed.
“The main thing was getting through to the next round and we did that playing at a high tempo,” the 30-year-old commented after the final whistle. “Genoa barely got a look-in and it was a thoroughly deserved victory.”
Not content with scoring just the one, El Pipita almost made it a double with a late effort.
“I took my goal well but on that second chance I couldn't really get it out from under my feet,” he explained.
Paulo Dybala also impressed on the night – scoring the opener and setting up the second – and Higuain believes his fellow Argentine is on the way to rediscovering his best form.
“Paulo made a blistering start to the campaign and perhaps even scored 'too many' because as soon as he stopped scoring people started giving him hard time. I hope his goal tonight will be the springboard he needs to get going again.”
A derby clash awaits Juve in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals in the new year after Torino defeated Roma in the capital on Wednesday afternoon but the Bianconeri have more pressing matters to deal with before then as they host the Giallorossi at the weekend.
“We have to concentrate on recovering well for Saturday and hopefully we can build on this win today.
“After that we have Verona and then Torino in the cup. It's going to be a great derby.”
