Ivan Juric saw Hellas Verona defeat Juventus with “heart more than anything” and admits they “certainly did not expect to do this well.”
The coach almost seemed to have a tear in his eye at the final whistle, as Fabio Borini and Giampaolo Pazzini completed the comeback from a Cristiano Ronaldo solo run to beat the leaders 2-1.
Hellas are now unbeaten in eight Serie A rounds, having held Milan and Lazio in the last week.
Ivan Juric saw Hellas Verona defeat Juventus with “heart more than anything” and admits they “certainly did not expect to do this well.”
The coach almost seemed to have a tear in his eye at the final whistle, as Fabio Borini and Giampaolo Pazzini completed the comeback from a Cristiano Ronaldo solo run to beat the leaders 2-1.
Hellas are now unbeaten in eight Serie A rounds, having held Milan and Lazio in the last week.
“We needed heart more than anything today, as I could see we weren’t as sharp or intense as usual. It was a very good opening 35 minutes, we then wasted too many chances and made mistakes, but fortunately we managed to turn it around,” the coach told DAZN.
“I get moved sometimes, I admit, but not this evening. I was just satisfied and happy for the lads.”
Verona had beaten Juventus only once since April 2000, a 2-1 result at the Bentegodi in May 2016, along with three draws (all of them 2-2 at home) and 11 defeats.
“I don’t know what to say. We thought we’d do well this season, but certainly not this well. We had a lot of young players who were hungry and eager to play in Serie A, for example Marash Kumbulla who today was fantastic dealing with Douglas Costa.
“We decided that we would play a style of football that involved taking some risks, but with the courage to play our way and hurt the opposition too.”
Incredibly, the entire Hellas squad salary bill comes to €9.53m net, whereas Cristiano Ronaldo alone earns €31m net.
Pazzini came off the bench to convert the spot-kick, his fourth goal of the Serie A season.
“Pazzo is always decisive. I know what he can give, even just for five minutes. His presence really helps the team, he took a fine penalty and is just a great professional.”