Genoa captain Domenico Criscito explains how he felt shaking off last week’s penalty error to give Genoa victory against Juventus. ‘Football makes you cry, it makes you smile.’
The dramatic finale at Marassi felt like something out of a movie, a week on from his stoppage-time effort saved by Sampdoria goalkeeper Emil Audero in a 1-0 defeat that left him utterly distraught.
This time, Genoa had another last-gasp spot-kick and Criscito converted to give them a 2-1 win over Juve, keeping their hopes of avoiding relegation alive.
“Football makes you cry, it makes you smile. Nobody can cancel last week’s error, but I am happy for these three points as we keep that little light alive and can still believe,” Criscito told Sky Sport Italia.
“The fight to stay in Serie A is so tight, we’ve got to keep battling to the end. We must face Napoli with the same determination as tonight, because we went behind, but never stopped believing.”
When the penalty was awarded at the 95th minute, despite what happened against Sampdoria, Criscito did not hesitate to step up.
“To be honest, I was more relaxed tonight than last week. The problem last week was I changed corner at the last second and it went badly, this time I felt sure.”
His wife and children were in the stands and they looked to be in tears even before he took the penalty.
“My wife knows how much I suffer when we lose. It has been a hard week for us, I was concentrated only on working. I am very happy.”
Tears are flowing in Genoa! 🥹
He missed a stoppage-time penalty at the weekend, but this time Domenico Criscito makes no mistake.
Two goals in the final few minutes to defeat Juventus and remain with a chance of survival. pic.twitter.com/3Ulp5lFbmy
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 6, 2022