Last-gasp Juve beat Inter to maintain perfect Serie A start / Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO - AFP
Last-gasp Juve beat Inter to maintain perfect Serie A start
Juventus continued their perfect start to the Serie A season after a stunning strike in stoppage time from teenage substitute Vasilije Adzic secured a thrilling 4-3 win over fierce rivals Inter Milan.
Midfielder Adzic smashed in an improbable winner from distance in the first minute of added time to complete a late turnaround and give Juve nine points from their first three matches of the campaign.
The 19-year-old, who made his debut for Montenegro in June, had come on for Teun Koopmeiners not long before Khephren Thuram levelled the scores in the 83rd minute and hit a rocket of a shot which squirmed through Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer's fingers.
"What can I say, it's a dream to play and score such a hugely important goal for Juve," said Adzic.
"I can only thank the coach and the staff for showing faith in me and bringing me on in such a big game."
Adzic's strike overshadowed the contribution from France's Thuram brothers. Playing on opposing sides, both netted.
Marcus Thuram headed Inter deservedly 3-2 ahead in the 76th minute after Hakan Calhanoglu twice drew the away team level with two superb long-range strikes of his own.
Under the gaze of their icon father Lilian Thuram, who watched on from the Allianz Stadium stands, Khephren Thuram then nodded Juve level and set the stage for Adzic's powerful strike.
"It was a crazy match, loads of goals and end-to-end, and we're really happy to get a win against such a good team that has really great players," said Juventus coach Igor Tudor, who also hailed Adzic's shooting power.
"He has a rare talent for shooting... He needs to take this goal as motivation to keep working and develop."
Inter are stuck on three points after a second straight defeat under novice coach Cristian Chivu, who replaced Simone Inzaghi in the summer even though his only previous elite coaching experience was a handful of matches in charge of Parma last season.
Chivu's team spent large chunks of the match dictating the play in what is traditionally the biggest fixture of Inter's season -- even more important than the Milan derby.
"Honestly I think we played really well all match," said Chivu.
"Unfortunately, we were a bit slack in the last 10 minutes, but you have to look at the performance and the fact that we came here and played with personality, try to win the match and not settle for any other result."
Champions Napoli can draw level with Juve at the top of Serie A later on Saturday with a win at Fiorentina.
M.Stevenson--EWJ
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