Marchisio: ‘Goal was a liberation’

Claudio Marchisio revealed what he was thinking when taking a penalty at Sevilla and why it’s “a liberation to celebrate after all this time.”

The midfielder had not scored in the Champions League since 2013, but above all it was his first goal since returning from six months out with a torn ACL.

“I am very happy to have achieved such an important objective as qualification for the Round of 16,” he told Mediaset Premium after a 3-1 victory in Spain.

Claudio Marchisio revealed what he was thinking when taking a penalty at Sevilla and why it’s “a liberation to celebrate after all this time.”

The midfielder had not scored in the Champions League since 2013, but above all it was his first goal since returning from six months out with a torn ACL.

“I am very happy to have achieved such an important objective as qualification for the Round of 16,” he told Mediaset Premium after a 3-1 victory in Spain.

“It was not easy here. The fans were really fired up, even when we scored the third goal. Our performance was not bad, as Sevilla are strong on home turf and rarely concede goals, but we scored three.

“We still need to improve, because we have the quality to do so much better in this team. I was out for a long time, so it’s natural that I struggle a little in matches. My eyesight goes fuzzy!”

It certainly wasn’t fuzzy when Marchisio stepped up to convert the penalty on the stroke of half-time.

“I just tried to focus on keeping it as low as possible. In fact, I had to move the ball to just behind the penalty spot, because there was a divot and I was afraid of hitting it from beneath.

“It was a liberation to celebrate a goal after all this time and what I’ve been through.”